Sports

World Snooker group four events into new ‘European Series’ with £150k bonus on offer


Barry Hearn unveiled the BetVictor European Series on Thursday (Picture: Getty Images )

World Snooker have made four of their lesser tournaments a lot more appealing to top players by grouping them together into the brand new BetVictor European Series and stumping up a lot more prize money in the process.

The European Masters, German Masters, Shoot Out and Gibraltar Open will now make up the European Series which will have its own ranking list across the four events.

The player that picks up the most money over those four tournaments will win a very welcome bonus of £150,000.

Three of the events have also enjoyed a big boost in prize money from this move, with the European Masters winner taking home £80,000 (up from £75k), the Shoot Out champ claiming £50,000 (up from £32k) and the Gibraltar Open winner taking £50,000 (previously £25k).

The German Masters and European Masters tend to attract big names in the sport, but the Shoot Out and Gibraltar Open are less popular among the most recognisable of today’s snooker players.

This move will certainly tempt a few players that may have skipped a trip to Watford or Gibraltar to reconsider, with a huge financial carrot dangling in front of them.

This seems like a positive move all round, with the events all gaining more profile, increased prize money available to the whole tour and a huge bonus for anyone who puts in the hard yards across the four tournaments.

‘We are delighted to announce the new BetVictor European Series, a fabulous addition to our tour,’ said World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn. ‘The race to win the series and earn a huge bonus of £150,000 adds an extra element of intrigue throughout the four events.

‘Each event is superb in its own right, but the support BetVictor brings takes it all to a new level and ties them together into a distinctive series.

‘I would love to see a few players in the mix with the chance to win the bonus going into the last tournament in Gibraltar, that would bring a thrilling conclusion to the series. For the players it’s an extra incentive to get their name down for these events and make sure they have the chance to boost their prize money in dramatic fashion.’



The 2020 BetVictor European Series

• BetVictor European Masters, 20-26 Jan, Austria
• BetVictor German Masters, 29 January – 2 Feb, Berlin, Germany
• BetVictor Shoot Out – 20-23 Feb, Watford, England
• BetVictor Gibraltar Open – 13-15 Mar, Gibraltar

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