BetFred Secures Record Darts Sponsorship Deal
It’s been a busy period for the world of darts both on and off the oche. Last week it was confirmed that Ladbrokes had agreed a deal to sponsor three major events on the PDC tour and this time it’s the turn of BetFred to lend their weight to the sport.
In the latest announcement, it’s been revealed that the long-established sportsbook has been installed as the official title sponsor for the world matchplay. This is one of the oldest darts tournaments still on the circuit and the BetFred deal is said to have set a new record.
Three Year Commitment
The contract will run for an initial three years with BetFred set to make the biggest financial commitment in the sport. Starting from 2019, the World Matchplay will carry a prize pool of £700,000 and this figure represents a serious increase of £200,000 from the prize fund available for the 2018 edition.
Darts is now a serious sport with big money being ploughed in and it’s no wonder that the PDC Chairman is delighted with this news.
Increasing Prize Money
In welcoming the news, Barry Hearn said:
I couldn’t be happier to see Betfred involved in one of the biggest in events in the darts calendar..
We had committed to increasing prize money across the PDC circuit, and this announcement of an increase for the Betfred World Matchplay will be followed by more good news for players in the coming weeks!
In response, BetFred founder Fred Done added:
We have always enjoyed a great working relationship with Barry Hearn so I am delighted to have agreed to a deal to link up with Barry and the PDC to sponsor one of the biggest tournaments in world darts.
Regular Fixture
The PDC World Matchplay is held every July at Blackpool Winter Gardens and it has been a regular on the darts circuit since its first edition in 1994. In 2019, 32 of the top darters in the world will head, once again, to the north west of England to fight it out but, while BetFred are contributing a significant sum in this agreement, the benefits aren’t entirely one way.
In return for their considerable investment, the sportsbook and casino will enjoy intense exposure in the arena and that will be extended into living rooms across the world thanks to live TV coverage.
That exposure also extends to the digital world where social media will step in to provide a platform for BetFred marketing while the operator can also take advantage of opportunities on the PDC official website.
Even though the next tournament is some eight months away, Twitter has already moved to welcome BetFred on board and the company may therefore enjoy some extra goodwill from the darts betting community.
Barry Hearn also mentioned more ‘good news’ for players and we wait confirmation of that with interest. For now, BetFred’s intervention is a welcome one in a sport that seems to be going from strength to strength.