Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) CEO Matt Porter has attested that gambling sponsorships will continue to figure prominently in the sport for the foreseeable future.
The 2025-26 edition of the World Darts Championship is set to commence tomorrow, 11 December, with Paddy Power serving as the headline sponsor for the tournament.
The Flutter-owned operator recently signed an extension which will see it remain as the tournament’s main sponsor until 2031.
In addition to Paddy Power, Entain-owned brand Ladbrokes acts as the main sponsor for the PDC’sPlayers Championship and UK Open.
Furthermore, LeoVegas Group’s BetMGM sponsors the Premier League Darts , while BetVictor holds sponsorship rights for the World Cup of Darts.
PDC also counts Mr Vegas (Grand Slam of Darts), BOYLE Sports (World Grand Prix), Betfred (World Matchplay) and Jack’s Casino (World Series of Darts Finals) as gambling title sponsors across its competitions.
Speaking on the SportsPro Podcast, Porter noted the complementary nature of betting and darts, while admitting the organisation is making a concerted effort to diversify its sponsorship portfolio.
He said: “We’ve got a wide range of partners [including] a hotel partner, a tyre partner, a financial services partner, there’s half a dozen or so [partners] you will see on the set when you watch our events.
“We’ve got a limited amount of inventory for that. So now our commercial team are being creative and putting together packages that are either digital, activation only, just different from the standard, traditional branding model.”
“But you have to look at it commercially. The product works for betting companies and betting companies are queuing up for it, so we have to service the event first and foremost.
“While we are diversifying our sponsorship portfolio, we’re always very conscious of our core audience and our roots. We know that the [gambling] industry works with us and we’ve got some fantastic partners.
Other sports have taken a stricter view to gambling sponsorships, with Premier League football clubs voluntarily banning front-of-shirt sponsorships from next season onwards.
Porter added that darts won’t look to add such restrictions, claiming they would be “counterproductive” for both parties.
He continued: “I think it’s an ongoing evolution. We’re certainly not one of those sports that are going to come out and say, ‘We don’t want to have betting partners anymore’.
“That’s just not going to be our model. It would be counterproductive for both us and for them.”
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On eve of World Darts Championship, Matt Porter admits steering clear of betting sponsors would be “counterproductive” for both parties
The post PDC chief says betting operators “are queuing up” to sponsor darts competitions first appeared on EGR Intel.