SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Slot developer Blueprint Gaming has partnered with the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) to launch a new World Darts Championship themed title.
The new release sees the slot supplier make its debut into the sports-themed category of online casino products, demonstrating a broadening of its portfolio.
Officially licensed from the PDC, the slot will feature famous darts players including newly-crowned world champion ‘The Iceman’ Gerwyn Price, as well as ‘Mighty Mike’ Michael van Gerwen and ‘Snakebite’ Peter Wright.
“Get ready for some quality darts action as we unveil PDC World Darts Championship as the first standout release from the Blueprint portfolio this year,” said Jo Purvis, Director of Marketing and Relationships at Blueprint Gaming.
“Featuring the sport’s biggest and most recognisable characters, we’re offering an entertaining experience, backed by a proven casino format that will resonate with a large audience.”
The title is based on a successful format recognisable to slots gamers throughout multiple markets. The release includes a Free Games feature, awarded by landing three dartboard scatter symbols, in addition to a maximum 180 spins triggered by landing five symbols.
Gamers can select to play with all of the PDC’s iconic darts players, including the aforementioned Price, van Gerwen and Wright, or take on a mystery pick option which randomly chooses a competitor from across the sport, which in turn can have an effect on the size of the win depending on the thrower’s value.
Additionally, the title will feature the Sid Waddell Trophy, as awarded to the Darts World Champion, as a major symbol throughout gameplay.
Barry Hearn OBE, Chairman of the Professional Darts Corporation, said: “The global popularity of darts continues to grow, shown recently with the thoroughly enthralling 2020/21 World Darts Championship, which even given the current situation and absence of our iconic Ally Pally crowds, didn’t fail to disappoint in the drama stakes.
“Partnering with Blueprint Gaming for the development of this unique game is another important step to broaden the appeal of the sport to more people across the globe. They have a fantastic reputation within the gaming industry for developing high quality content and we had no hesitation in partnering with Blueprint for this special game release.”
The agreement marks an extension of the PDC’s extensive portfolio of betting industry partnerships. In June 2020 the tournament paired with Low6 to launch the PDC Picks darts betting app, aiming to appeal to a more diverse and younger audience.
This was followed by a renewal of its sponsorship agreement with Boyle Sports in September 2020, which saw the Irish bookmaker sponsor the Grand Slam of Darts tournament in November at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall.
Barry Hearn also recently commented on the UK Gambling Commission’s (UKGC) ongoing review of the country’s gambling legislation, stating that a ban on betting sponsorships could be a ‘disaster for every layer of sport’.
