PRIZE MONEY for European-based Players Championship events is to rise to £31,700 in January 2010.
Players Championship prize money rose from £25,000 per event to £30,000 per tournament in the UK and Europe this year, offering £6,000 to the winner.
Next year, prize money will rise further to £31,700, giving players who reach the last 16 and quarter-finals an increased reward for their efforts.
The winner will still receive £6,000, with the runner-up taking home £3,000 and the semi-finalists earning £1,500.
The players who lose in the last 64 will receive £200, with the last 32 losers earning £300.
The new prize fund structure will be:
| 2009 | 2010 | |
| Winner | £6,000 | £6,000 |
| Runner-Up | £3,000 | £3,000 |
| Semi-Finalists | £1,500 | £1,500 |
| Quarter-Finalists | £800 | £1,000 |
| Last 16 | £400 | £500 |
| Last 32 | £300 | £300 |
| Last 64 | £200 | £200 |
"We have been committed to expanding the PDC Pro Tour in recent years and this is further commitment of that," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.
"Prize money for players at this elite level has never been greater and are delighted to increase prize money for Players Championships again.
"These events are now important in their own right, but with qualification places for major televised events coming from the Players Championship Order of Merit we are creating a system which rewards the form of all players."
From January 2011, the PDC will allocate £1 million prize money for PDC Pro Tour events - Players Championships and UK Open Regional Finals - to coincide with the introduction of the Tour Card.
Full details of how the Tour Card and Pro Tour will operate will be confirmed in due course.
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