THE Wolverhampton Civic Hall has reported record demand for Grand Slam of Darts tickets since the event went on sale a month ago.
The 2010 Grand Slam of Darts will be held from November 13-21 at the Wolves Civic, as 32 top darts stars battle for the prestigious title live on ITV Sport and the £100,000 winner's cheque.
Tickets for the tournament went on sale at the start of September, and sales have already surged past the total number of tickets sold for 2009, with a month to go until this year's Grand Slam begins.
"This is an unbelievable response from the people of Wolverhampton and the Midlands and shows just how much they love their darts," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.
"The Wolves Civic even had to draft in extra staff to cope with demand when tickets went on sale, which is incredible!
"The Grand Slam has become a must-see event for sports fans over the past few years as it features all the major finalists from every top darts event in the past two years.
"The country may be in the grip of a recession but darts is bucking the trend, as our crowds continue to increase. This is the hottest ticket in town!"
The field for the Grand Slam of Darts will be finalised over the next month, with next week's Bodog.com World Grand Prix in Ireland seeing the finalists invited to compete in Wolverhampton.
The winner and runner-up from the internet-streamed Championship League Darts, which features Wolverhampton's Wayne Jones, will also qualify for the Grand Slam of Darts, while the ITV Wildcard Qualifier in Barnsley on Friday November 5 allows any darts player to enter and win one of four final places.
Jones' run to the final of the European Championship in the summer earned him a Grand Slam spot, while Telford's former Lakeside Champion Ted Hankey is amongst the other competitors in the Grand Slam - where he could face 15-time World Champion Phil Taylor or Raymond van Barneveld.
Telford's Steve Farmer gets a chance to win a Grand Slam of Darts spot after qualifying for the Grand Prix in Ireland, where he takes on Steve Brown in the first round on Monday night.
Tickets for the Grand Slam of Darts are available from the Wolves Civic Box Office on 0870 320 7000.