My opinion on gambling sponsors and current financial state of NA tier 2 as an NACL GM for 2 years: Reality of the T2 space: - NACL orgs get 0 rev share from Riot, so almost everything (player/coach salaries) is funded out of pocket. - Most GMs/managers work for free (me included) - It is hard to build a social media presence or create content because there is no money or energy to invest in that. @BlueOtterGG does an insanely good job of marketing but realistically are just losing more money. - Basically we're just stuck losing 10-30k annually paying players/coaches, and theyre not getting paid much either. Reality about gambling: - Regardless of ads, there is a MUCH STRONGER DEMAND in esports for gambling than for org merch, exclusive content, tickets, etc. - On polymarket alone, my org's matches get 200k-400k betting volume (per match), but realistically we make a few hundred selling jerseys/merch. The difference in demand is outstanding. - My players, org, coaches will never see a cent of the money that is being bet ON THEIR GAMES, even tho it wouldnt exist without my org funding the team. How's that fair?! Issues with Polymarket: - Prediction markets are unregulated, unlike sportsbooks - Complete disregard for local laws during their ad campaign. They ran undisclosed ads. Many of the influencers they approached are NOT LEGALLY allowed to advertise for them, yet they go for the "we just pay you to make a qrt, you can disclose if if u want" without properly informing people of the law. (Ex, they reached out to erknaite repeatedly despite advertising for polymarket literally being illegal in his country). - No measures to ensure competitive integrity Solution IMO: - Partner with a decent sportsbook company that has a stake in the competitive integrity in matches (afaik trad sports do this) and doesnt constantly try to skirt laws - Responsibly as possible, promote the sportsbook company (perhaps w/ disclosure similar to alcohol/tobacco ads) - Create a regulated gambling scene that preserves competitive integrity - Do not give API keys to companies who do not take proper measures to ensure integrity - Players at all levels see a part of the profit, as they are part of the product. But it's never gonna happen anyways xDDD