Darts governing body the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) has announced that betting firm Ladbrokes is the new title sponsor of its UK Open and Players Championship Finals events.
Ladbrokes branding will be present across the events, which are among the highest profile on the PDC calendar.
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The 2024 UK Open is set to be held from March 1 to 3 at the Butlins resort in Minehead, England, while the Players Championship Finals will be hosted from November 22-24, also at the Minehead Butlins.
The two events were previously sponsored by used car firm Cazoo from 2021 through to 2023. Indeed, Cazoo is still listed as the title sponsor of the 2024 event on the PDC website.
Ladbrokes has long held a strong link to the PDC, while Cazoo had sponsored the UK Open from 2019-21 and the Players Championship Finals from 2018-21.
Ladbrokes is also a former sponsor of the PDC’s World Darts Championship, having done so between 2003 and 2014, making it the event’s longest-tenured sponsor.
PDC chief executive Matthew Porter stated that it is “fantastic” for the two parties to partner with each other once more, adding: “Ladbrokes has a rich history in darts and we look forward to working with them on two of our biggest events.”
After several years where Cazoo had sponsored much of the PDC’s array of events, the governing body has returned to having all but one ranked event on its calendar sponsored by gambling companies.
The PDC’s showpiece World Darts Championship event is now sponsored by betting firm PaddyPower, its World Matchplay event is sponsored by Betfred, the PDC World Grand Prix is sponsored by BoyleSports, and its Grand Slam of Darts is sponsored by MrVegas.
Of the PDC’s ranked events only its European Championship, sponsored by MachineSeeker, is not partnered with a betting firm, while its non-ranked Masters event is still sponsored by Cazoo.
