Mr Vegas the New Sponsor of Wolverhampton Darts Grand Slam
In a landmark move for the Malta-based operator, Mr Vegas has become the new title sponsor of the Professional Darts Corporation’s Grand Slam of Darts. Mr Vegas will also become the title sponsor of the popular Nordic Darts Masters events.
Ross Smith will begin the defense of his Machineseeker European Championship title on Friday night. ©PDCEurope
The Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts will be held at Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton from November 11th-19th, 2023. The Sky televised competition is recognized as the principal stepping-stone for World Championship success.
Former champions, such as darts legend Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, three-time Grand Slam winner Gerwyn Price, and last year’s victor Michael Smith, have all taken this competition before landing the World Darts Championship that started a few weeks later.
Bringing the Vegas Feeling to Wolves
Owned by leading gaming operator Videoslots, Mr Vegas hopes to further strengthen its visibility in the UK and the Nordics and satisfy the “company’s ambition to become one of the most beloved and approachable casino brands.”
As part of a multi-year deal, the new sponsor has agreed to a round of ‘Mr Vegas Darts Nights’ with the PDC across the UK. Its purpose is to connect players and fans with legends of the sport.
“This partnership comes at the right time for us, and to be the title sponsor at two of the biggest darts events in the world is a huge opportunity for Mr Vegas,” said Ulle Skottling, Deputy CEO at Mr Vegas, when announcing the new agreement.
“We believe our brand has a great connection with the sport, bringing ‘that Vegas feeling’ to darts, and are thrilled to see Mr Vegas associated with the sport on a global scale,” he concluded.
The Masters Are in Europe Next
The next Mr Vegas Nordic Darts Masters is scheduled for June 2024 in Copenhagen, Denmark, as part of the PDC’s World Series of Darts global tour. Like the Grand Slam of Darts, it will be broadcast live in the UK and several other countries.
More immediately, the 2023 Machineseeker European Championship will begin this Thursday. The £500,000 tournament contains the top 32 players from the European Tour Order of Merit following the conclusion of this year’s 13 events held on the continent.
Taking place between October 26th-29th at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, the first round is split across Thursday and Friday nights. The opening session will feature a bumper line-up of matches from the top half of the draw.
Germany Has a Strong European Hand
Amongst the standout games, World Champion Michael Smith will take on Raymond van Barneveld, and top seed Dave Chisnall – who has won three European Tour events this year – faces Masters champion Chris Dobey. Peter Wright plays German star Gabriel Clemens. Martin Schindler will be the other German in action on the opening night. He takes on Stephen Bunting.
Ross Smith will begin the defense of his Machineseeker European Championship on Friday night with a tie against the promising German debutant Ricardo Pietreczko. The relative newcomer impressively won the German Darts Championship last weekend.
Also on Friday, four-time European Champion Michael van Gerwen will begin his bid to win back the title against Latvia’s Madars Razma. 2018 winner James Wade meets Dirk van Duijvenbode. On the same bill, the new World Grand Prix champion, Luke Humphries, faces off against Brendan Dolan.
The second round will take place across two sessions on Saturday, October 28. The quarter-finals are scheduled for Sunday afternoon. The decisive semi-finals and final will be played on Sunday evening.
The best darts betting sites have placed Michael van Gerwen at the top of the European Championship betting priced 7/2. Gerwyn Price (4/1), Luke Humphries (5/1), Michael Smith (7/1), Rob Cross (16/1) and Dave Chisnall (20/1) follow.
