Ding Junhui
As announced by World Snooker on February 23, the sports betting and entertainment platform ManBetX has been confirmed as the new title sponsor of two upcoming snooker ranking events, the Welsh Open and the Gibraltar Open.
The Welsh Open, first played in 1992, is one of the longest-running snooker tournaments. This season’s 2018 ManBetX Welsh Open will take place at the Cardiff Motorpoint Arena from February 26 to March 4, 2018. World Snooker also disclosed in its press release that top stars including Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Selby, John Higgins and defending champion Stuart Bingham will play in this event.
Following the Welsh Open, the 2018 Gibraltar Open will be staged at the Tercentenary Sports Hall in Gibraltar from March 7-11. This event was first held in 2015 and will gather together players such as Shaun Murphy, Barry Hawkins, Luca Brecel, Jimmy White and China’s top star Ding Junhui to this season’s edition.
Prior to this deal with the two snooker events, ManBetX has struck sponsorship or partnership deals with some professional football clubs. As listed on ManBetX’s official website, the company signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with the Premier League’s Crystal Palace in June 2017. When it came to the second half of 2017, ManBetX became a partner of LaLiga’s Real Sociedad in the Asian market.
According to their official website, ManBetX was founded in 2007, is based in Malta and regulated by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission.
Source: World Snooker
Proofread by Raymond Fitzpatrick