by Renee Israel
The giant betting exchange, Betfair, has announced that it will be the title
sponsor for one of the most exciting darts tournaments in the United Kingdom,
the World Matchplay event in Blackpool.
The Betfair darts Matchplay sponsorship deal was signed between the
exchange and the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
The darts tournament will run between July 21st to July 29th and will be
televised live on Sky Sports from the Winter Gardens.
The £400,000 tournament will feature sixteen of the top darts players in the
world, as well as sixteen more qualifiers of the ProTour Order of Merit,
challenging each other through the competition until only one person takes home
the title as winner.
Some of the participants include the English darts champ, Phil "The Power"
Taylor, who has won the title multiple times, including an unbeaten run from
2000 to 2004.
The competition is also expected to draw international names such as James
Wade and Colin Lloyd, both of whom won the tournament in previous years, as well
as Adrian Lewis, the current World Champion of darts.
Betfair is a Worldwide Known Brand
According to the Chairman for the Professional Darts Corporation, Barry
Hearn, the organisation is delighted is welcome Betfair as the title sponsors
for the Betfair World Matchplay.
"It's a brand known worldwide and we're excited about its association with
one of the biggest tournaments in darts," he said. "I firmly believe that the
2012 Betfair World Matchplay will be the best yet in the tournament's history
with record sales of tickets accompanied by a fantastic lineup of players."
Hearn said that the standard of play on the PDC circuit continues to rise all
the time as the dart stars "keep pushing each other in their quest for glory and
after seeing nine dart finishes in Blackpool in each of the last two years, I'm
sure we'll be in for another thrilling tournament."
Dart Continues to Grow in Popularity
Betfair online betting exchange continues to make strides in the sports
betting market, and one way it does this is by sponsoring major tournaments such
as its latest deal with the Professional Darts Corporation.
"We're excited to sponsor the Betfair World Matchplay at a time when darts
continues to grow in popularity as a sport," noted the International Director
for Betfair, Matt Robinson. "It's fast becoming one of the most watched events
on television and we look forward to providing fans with all the excitement only
the Betfair World Matchplay can deliver."
