Snooker News

Dafabet Continues Masters Sponsorship

Dafabet’s title sponsorship of snooker’s most prestigious invitation tournament has been extended for an extra three years.

Ronnie Masters Trophy
O’Sullivan will bid for a seventh title in 2017 – photo courtesy of Monique Limbos.

Dafabet has been the sponsor of the Masters since 2014 and this new extension brings the agreement to 2020.

The Dafabet Masters is one of the sport’s Triple Crown events and it is known for its elite field as it brings together the top 16 players in the world. It has a rich history dating back to 1975, and now boasts a top prize of £200,000, the biggest outside the World Championship.

The 2017 event runs from January 15 to 22 at Alexandra Palace in North London, its home since 2012.

Last season’s Dafabet Masters was won by crowd favourite Ronnie O’Sullivan who thrashed Barry Hawkins 10-1 in the final to win the title for the sixth time, equalling the record set by Stephen Hendry. Other winners in recent years include Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby and Ding Junhui.

The BBC-televised tournament is broadcast live in 89 countries, reaching hundreds of millions of viewers around the world.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “We are thrilled to have Dafabet on board for another three years at the Masters, bringing their title sponsorship of the event to seven years in total. They have proved fantastic supporters of snooker and it’s no wonder when you see the remarkable exposure they gain for their brand through TV coverage to massive audiences across the globe. We look forward to working with them on delivering another fabulous tournament in 2017.

“The Dafabet Masters is one of the crown jewels of the snooker calendar, loved by players and fans. For the next six months the players will be battling for places among the top 16 to secure their spot at Alexander Palace. Fans should book their tickets fast as many sessions will be sold out.”

John Cruces, Head of sports marketing and sponsorships at Dafabet, added: “While we already had the title sponsorship for the 2017 tournament, we wanted to extend our deal sooner rather than later ensuring we tied down such a prestigious sporting event.

“We want Dafabet to become synonymous with the Masters, so knowing now we’ll be title sponsor for a minimum of seven years can only help our aim.

“World Snooker are a pleasure to work with, so we’re thrilled to be continuing our partnership for a further three years.”

Tickets and VIP packages for the 2017 Dafabet Masters are on sale and there is a half price offer running until the end of June – for details visit www.worldsnooker.com/tickets

News Release.

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