Dafabet Announced as New Title Sponsor of Snooker’s World Championship
March 19, 2014
Online betting firm Dafabet has been announced as the new title sponsor of the World Championship, World Snooker has announced.
The newly named Dafabet World Championship will run from April 19 to May 5 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. The top 16 seeds plus 16 qualifiers will be competing for one of the most famous trophies in sport, as well as a record top prize of £300,000.
The 17-day tournament will be televised in over 70 countries worldwide to a global audience of over 300 million.
Ronnie O’Sullivan will be defending the title he won for a fifth time last year.
World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “We are thrilled to bring Dafabet on board for our Blue Riband tournament. This is truly one of the great events on the sporting calendar and there are hundreds of millions of fans across the planet eagerly awaiting the moment when the defending champion steps out on the first morning.
“The atmosphere at the Crucible is unique in sport and those lucky enough to be inside the arena are going to experience something truly spectacular.
Dafabet has been prominent in Snooker by supporting the Players Tour Championship and recently the Masters.
“Dafabet sponsored the Masters this season so they are well aware of snooker’s massive global appeal and the tremendous exposure they will receive during an event which receives hundreds of hours of television coverage. We look forward to working with their team,” Hearn added.
Dafabet Managing Director of Online Betting and Gaming, Dimitris Karatzas, said: “We are very proud to be title sponsor of Snooker’s Flagship event as the World Championship is rightfully recognised globally. We look forward to the excellent exposure we will receive over the duration of the tournament and of course seeing Dafabet at the iconic Crucible. Roll on April 19th and the start of the tournament, where no doubt further history will be made.”
Dafabet has also been involved in Football with sponsorships with Everton, West Bromwich Albion and most recently as shirts sponsor of Aston Villa.