BETFAIR have been confirmed as the new title sponsors of the Betfair World Matchplay, which will be held at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool from July 21-29.
The world's biggest online betting exchange are linking up with the Professional Darts Corporation for the first time through their support of the £400,000 tournament, which will be screened live on Sky Sports.
The field for this year's Betfair World Matchplay will be confirmed on Sunday night following the European Tour event in Dusseldorf, with the world's top 16 players joined by 16 qualifiers from the ProTour Order of Merit in competing in Blackpool.
"We're delighted to welcome Betfair as the title sponsors for the Betfair World Matchplay," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.
"They're a brand known worldwide and we're excited about their association with one of the biggest tournaments in darts.
"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 line-up of players.
"The standard of play on the PDC circuit keeps rising all the time as our 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."
Matt Robinson, Betfair's International Director, said: "We're excited to sponsor the Betfair World Matchplay at a time when darts continues to grow in popularity as a sport.
"It's fast become 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."
This year's Betfair World Matchplay sees Phil Taylor bidding to win a record-equalling fifth successive title, to match his own unbeaten run from 2000-2004, and his 13th title at the Winter Gardens.
The field of competitors will also include former champions James Wade and Colin Lloyd, who won a Players Championship event last weekend to secure qualification, as well as current World Champion Adrian Lewis and former Blackpool finalists Raymond van Barneveld and Terry Jenkins.
The Betfair World Matchplay will be held from July 21-29 at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. Tickets for the event are still available by calling the Winter Gardens Box Office on 0844 856 1111 or by visiting www.blackpoollive.com.