World Snooker has announced that online gaming firm BetVictor is to become the title sponsor of the English Open for the first time.
The BetVictor English Open will run from October 15-21 at K2, Crawley, with top stars including defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, world number one Mark Selby, world champion Mark Williams, John Higgins and Judd Trump among the field.
In all, 128 players will start in flat draw, in which they’ll need to win seven matches to scoop the Steve Davis Trophy and a top prize of £70,000.
Televised by Eurosport and Quest, the English Open is the first of the season’s Home Nations series. It will be followed by tournaments in Belfast, Glasgow and Cardiff. Any player winning all four trophies will bank a £1m bonus.
BetVictor has a strong affiliation with the sport having previously sponsored the Welsh Open from 2013 for four consecutive years.
Director of sportsbook at BetVictor, Matt Scarrott, said: “We’re really pleased to be working with World Snooker. Over the last few years, snooker has grown in popularity at an astonishing rate as it continues to gain international relevance.
“At BetVictor, we’ve been following the sport for quite some time, having previously sponsored the Welsh Open for four years, and partnering with World Snooker once again will allow us to expand our footprint into this growing global market.”
