{"id":74626,"date":"2026-06-27T10:39:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T10:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/riot-games-makes-stake-owned-kick-an-official-esports-broadcaster-just-a-year-after-rescinding-sponsor-ban\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T10:39:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T10:39:16","slug":"riot-games-makes-stake-owned-kick-an-official-esports-broadcaster-just-a-year-after-rescinding-sponsor-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/riot-games-makes-stake-owned-kick-an-official-esports-broadcaster-just-a-year-after-rescinding-sponsor-ban\/","title":{"rendered":"Riot Games Makes Stake-Owned Kick an Official Esports Broadcaster, Just a Year After Rescinding Sponsor Ban"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News )<\/b><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"@container mb-[25px] rounded-sm overflow-clip py-0.5 pr-0.5 pl-2.5 bg-success-100\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col gap-m overflow-clip rounded-[6px] !bg-success-10 p-3 @[420px]:p-m\">\n<h2 class=\"m-0 flex items-center gap-s text-[19px] !text-[#1c1c1c] md:text-[20px]\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"10\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 10\" fill=\"none\" class=\"shrink-0 text-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M1 1.5h14\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M1 8.5h10\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span>Key Takeaways<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul class=\"m-0 flex list-none flex-col gap-m pl-0\">\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">Riot named Stake-owned Kick an official esports broadcaster on June 26, starting with MSI on June 28.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">The deal lands about a year after Riot reversed its long-standing ban on betting sponsors.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">Riot still bars betting logos from broadcasts; Stake-sponsored Team Vitality masks its deal as \u201cE.Leclerc.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>From \u201cbetting-free\u201d to a crypto casino\u2019s platform<\/h2>\n<p>Riot Games <a href=\"https:\/\/www.riotgames.com\/en\/news\/riot-kick-watch-costreaming\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">announced<\/a> that the Kick streaming platform will become an official broadcaster of its League of Legends, VALORANT, and Teamfight Tactics esports tournaments, beginning with the Mid-Season Invitational on June 28. The catch, for a company that spent most of its history keeping gambling at arm\u2019s length: Kick is co-owned by Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani, the founders of <span>crypto<\/span> casino <span>Stake<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>For years, Riot barred betting brands from its leagues outright. President of Publishing and Esports John Needham acknowledged as much when the policy finally changed: \u201cHistorically, this has been a restricted sponsorship category, and Riot has not engaged with betting companies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That changed on June 26, 2025, when Needham reversed the ban for Tier 1 League of Legends and VALORANT teams in the Americas and EMEA. \u201cTeams have asked us to reconsider our stance, and after years of analysis to ensure we got it right, we agreed it was time to open up this category,\u201d he wrote in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.riotgames.com\/en\/news\/esports-betting-sponsorships\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">open letter<\/a>. His rationale was blunt: \u201cThe reality is that betting activity already exists around our sports and will continue whether we engage with it or not.\u201d Whether revenue considerations were the real driver of this change remains an open question, as he said that betting activity is not a new development around these games.<\/p>\n<p>Needham acknowledged the unease last year \u2013 \u201cWe know sports betting isn\u2019t for everyone, and that some fans have strong feelings about it, and we respect that\u201d \u2013 but framed engagement as the safer path: \u201cWe believe it\u2019s better to engage in allowing betting sponsorships \u2013 thoughtfully, carefully, and with the right protections \u2013 than to sit on the sidelines while risks to fans and integrity go unchecked.\u201d Underpinning it was money: Needham cited Sportradar data showing $10.7 billion wagered on the two titles in 2024, around 70% of it through unregulated books. Riot\u2019s games are among the most-bet esports in the world \u2013 League of Legends made up roughly 26% of global esports betting handle in 2024, trailing only Counter-Strike, and VALORANT accounted for another 5%, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/sharpr.substack.com\/p\/global-esports-betting-monitor-h2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">data<\/a> from Abios.<\/p>\n<p>But he drew one firm line: \u201cRiot-owned broadcast and social channels will stay betting-free.\u201d Betting logos were barred from jerseys during official broadcasts \u2013 a rule still in effect today, as Stake-sponsored Team Vitality displays French retailer \u201cE.Leclerc\u201d on its League jerseys because the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/what-is-staking\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stake<\/a> brand <a href=\"https:\/\/insider-gaming.com\/riot-games-kick-partnership\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cannot appear<\/a> on the official livestreams.<\/p>\n<p>A year later, that line is nowhere near as firm as it used to be. The platform now carrying Riot\u2019s \u201cbetting-free\u201d broadcasts is itself owned by a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/a-quick-introduction-to-crypto\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">crypto<\/a> casino \u2013 the same one whose logo Riot won\u2019t allow teams to display. Kick\u2019s gambling-saturated culture has been inseparable from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/what-is-staking\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stake<\/a> since launch, and rival <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/a-quick-introduction-to-crypto\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">crypto<\/a> casinos have recently bought <a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/stake-sponsor-rainbet\/\">official placements<\/a> on it.<\/p>\n<p>Riot addressed the platform\u2019s reputation only obliquely. In its announcement, the company said it would \u201capply the same moderation practices and standards creators on other platforms are held to, ensuring a safe and positive experience for all.\u201d The deal excludes China and Korea, and no financial terms or exclusivity were disclosed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/riot-games-makes-stake-owned-kick-an-official-esports-broadcaster-just-a-year-after-rescinding-sponsor-ban\/\">Source link <\/a><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News ) Key Takeaways Riot named Stake-owned Kick an official esports broadcaster on June 26, starting with MSI on June 28. The deal lands about a year after Riot reversed its long-standing ban on betting sponsors. Riot still bars betting logos from broadcasts; Stake-sponsored Team Vitality masks its deal as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3947362403,"featured_media":74627,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74626"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3947362403"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74626\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}