Team Liquid has announced a new partnership with the betting operator Duelbits. The multi-faceted deal has been established with a stated focus on responsible betting practices.
The partnership designates Duelbits as the title sponsor of Team Liquid’s Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) roster. The agreement will see Duelbits support the team’s competitive endeavours, content creation such as videos and shows, and fan experiences including community tournaments.
In an official blog post, the organisation acknowledged that sports betting is a “challenging category,” prompting it to publicly outline its approach to the collaboration.
The move into esports betting comes against a backdrop of past industry scandals involving match-fixing and criticism of certain operators’ aggressive marketing tactics. Team Liquid cited these issues as harmful to the industry and its fans, stating it takes them seriously. The organisation’s rationale is partly informed by the experiences of its Founder and Co-CEO Victor Goossens.
Goossens explained the decision in a letter to the community, stating, “Sports betting is an important part of modern sports and, as long as that remains true, it will continue to be one of the most influential and well-funded sponsorship categories in the industry.” He added, “As a competitive sports team, we cannot ignore the role sponsorships play in keeping us competitive.”
To guide its involvement, Team Liquid has published a code of conduct detailing expectations for professional integrity, including betting-related behaviours and potential disciplinary actions. The organisation emphasised that the partnership will focus exclusively on sports betting and will not promote casino-style games. Key promises include promoting responsible betting with visible disclaimers, links to addiction support resources, and running fan giveaways that do not require betting site sign-ups.
Furthermore, the organisation has created a dedicated resource on its website to educate fans on responsible betting, which includes a self-test for identifying potential gambling problems. Team Liquid stated that Duelbits has supported this approach and is working with them to ensure regulatory compliance and the promotion of safe betting practices.
The partnership’s scope is specifically targeted at games with an older demographic, namely Counter-Strike 2 and Chess. Team Liquid’s CS2 team debuts the Duelbits sponsorship this Saturday, 29 November, at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025.
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