Riot names Kick, owned by Stake founders, official broadcaster

Riot Games on June 26 named Kick an official broadcaster for its League of Legends, VALORANT and Teamfight Tactics tournaments, with coverage starting at the Mid-Season Invitational on June 28. Kick is co-owned by Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani, the founders of crypto casino Stake.

Under the agreement, Kick will carry official tournament streams outside China and Korea. Riot said it will hold Kick to the same moderation standards applied to other platforms. The announcement did not disclose financial terms, exclusivity or revenue-sharing details.

Riot relaxed a long-standing ban on betting sponsors about a year earlier, allowing Tier 1 League and VALORANT teams in the Americas and EMEA to take betting partners after an internal review. John Needham, Riot’s president of publishing and esports, wrote that “Historically, this has been a restricted sponsorship category, and Riot has not engaged with betting companies.” He added that “The reality is that betting activity already exists around our sports and will continue whether we engage with it or not.”

Riot kept a separate rule for its own channels. Needham wrote that “Riot-owned broadcast and social channels will stay betting-free.” Teams have used alternative branding in official streams when gambling operators sponsor them; for example, a team sponsored by Stake displays the French retailer name E.Leclerc on its jerseys during Riot broadcasts.

Kick’s platform has been closely associated with gambling since its launch, and some operators have bought placements on the site. Riot addressed those concerns by saying it will apply the same moderation practices and standards to creators on Kick as it does on other platforms, but the company did not publish event-specific guidelines for betting-related content on Kick.

Riot cited data showing significant betting activity around its games. The company referenced figures indicating about $10.7 billion was wagered on League of Legends and VALORANT in 2024, with roughly 70% of that handle going through unregulated operators. Additional data noted League of Legends made up about 26% of global esports betting handle in 2024, and VALORANT about 5%.

The partnership excludes China and Korea. Riot framed the deal as adding a distribution partner for tournament streams while keeping consistent moderation standards across platforms, but left open questions about how betting-related content will be handled during official broadcasts on Kick.