Matchroom Sports Announces 888casino as Title Sponsor for Snooker's Champion of Champions

GIBRALTAR, June 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

888 Holdings PLC (888.L) and Matchroom Sport have entered into a Title sponsorship agreement between 888casino and snooker's biggest new tournament, the Champion of Champions.

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The 888casino Champion of Champions will run from Tuesday 19^th to Sunday 24^th November at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.

Televised live throughout on ITV4, the tournament features 16 champions of the previous season competing for a £270,000 prize fund including £100,000 for the eventual winner.

Stars such as Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Selby and Neil Robertson will all be invited to take part in an exciting new format that features four mini tournaments comprised of four players each, followed by the big money semi-finals and then final over the best of 19 frames.

Barry Hearn, Chairman of Matchroom Sport, said: "We are very excited to have 888casino on board as title sponsor of a brand new tournament on the snooker calendar. 888 have been involved with snooker previously and I'm thrilled that they are continuing their association with the sport in such an innovative new event.

"The Champion of Champions is an elite competition featuring winners of all the major tournaments throughout the season and we are looking to establish it as a regular 'best of the best' and with unprecedented live coverage on terrestrial UK television, the 888casino Champion of Champions will be bringing snooker of the highest quality to a potentially huge audience, both domestically and around the world."

Itai Pazner, Senior Vice President of 888.com, commented; "888 is excited to have the opportunity to continue our support and investment in Snooker. Matching up our leading casino brand, 888casino, with such a prestigious snooker event is a perfect fit for the brand and more importantly our customers. We look forward to utilizing the access and exposure as title sponsor of the 888casino Champion of Champions as an extension of the entertainment experience 888casino provides every day."

The 888casino Champion of Champions will be broadcast live throughout on ITV4 for a minimum 48 hours. In addition, it will also be screened live on CCTV in China.

About 888.com  

• 888 is one of the world's most popular online gaming entertainment and solutions providers
• Founded in 1997, 888.com has been at the forefront of the online gaming industry for over a decade
• 888 offers a comprehensive gaming experience - including casino, poker, bingo and sports betting - through a number of leading brands in regulated markets around the world
• 888 can be used in 22 different languages in 176 countries worldwide
• 888 is committed to an industry leading corporate and social responsibility programme, and provides a safe, fun, fair, regulated and secure gaming environment
• 888 is licensed and regulated by the Government of Gibraltar, and is listed on the London Stock Exchange

About Matchroom Sport

Founded in 1982, Matchroom Sport is one of the world's leading independent producers of sports television programming. Headed by its chairman Barry Hearn, the company originates upwards of 700 hours of programming on an annual basis. In addition to snooker, Matchroom Sport also produce numerous broadcast hours of golf, darts, boxing, pool, ping pong, fishing, tenpin bowling and poker.

For more information about this release or 888.com and its house of brands, please contact 888.com Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Jennifer Von Strohe at jennifer.von-strohe@888holdings.com, t: +44-(0)207-487-8694.