PADDY POWER will NOT be changing the dartboard ahead of the World Darts Championship after all.
Instead, they WILL be donating around £1million to Prostate Cancer UK as part of their Big 180 Campaign – with the final amount determined by the performance of the players at Ally Pally this year.
Join us at the Sun's Darts Championship preview night
The bookmaker – who sponsor the tournament for the first time when it gets underway in a fortnight – has revealed the custom green treble 20 bed won't actually be in use, having caused major controversy in the darts world early this week.
On the face of it, it actually appeared to make sense, with their statement revealing the colour green sits at the centre of the visual spectrum, while red and blue are on either end of the scale, meaning there was the chance of achieving more 180s than ever before.
But their real reason was simply to grab the attention of the darting community – for a very, very good reason.
In a joint statement with the Professional Darts Corporation and Prostate Cancer UK, the usually mischievous firm have revealed their 'The BIG 180' campaign.
That partnership will actually see Paddy Power donate a tremendous £1,000 for EVERY 180 hit during the tournament.
With 901 maximums achieved in last year's tournament, the firm are hoping that record will be smashed with players improving every year, and a possible £1million being donated to Prostate Cancer UK, which is a transformative amount for the charity.
All money raised throughout the Paddy Power World Darts Championship will fund lifesaving research to diagnose men sooner and improve the lives of men affected by the most common cancer in men.
On top of that, Paddy Power and the PDC are joining forces to challenge 180,000 fans, followers and customers to use the online risk checker on Prostate Cancer UK's website, via their channels.
Paddy Power said: “We would like to officially apologise if we caused Peter Wright, Michael van Gerwen or any of the other professional players undue stress this week.
"But if it grabbed the attention of them and just a fraction of the audience darts has, then it will all have been worthwhile.
“1 in 8 men are at risk of prostate cancer, so our aim is to hit them right between the bullseyes with The BIG 180 campaign which will be unmissable this Christmas."
Two-time champion Wright – who wears Prostate UK's ‘Man of Men’ badge on his collar in every tournament – was joined by 1993/94 winner Dennis 'The Menace' Priestley at the launch of the campaign.
Priestley – inducted into the PDC Hall of Fame – was treated for prostate cancer having been diagnosed back in November 2007.
He said: "Nearly all cancers can be beaten if caught early enough, including prostate cancer. I'm the proof after 16 years that if you get it diagnosed early enough you can beat it."
GET CHECKED
It takes 30 seconds to answer three questions to check your prostate cancer risk. Do it now by clicking on the following link: prostatecanceruk.org/180-risk
While Snakebite Wright added: “As a man over 50 it’s so important to know your risk of prostate cancer, and I’m sure I speak for all of the players taking part this year by saying we are gunning for as many treble 20s as possible as part of Paddy Power’s Big 180 campaign.
"To know every maximum will trigger a £1,000 donation to Prostate Cancer UK is another fantastic incentive for us all to play well this year. The fact that we can hit Paddy Power where it hurts for their antics earlier this week helps too!
“I deal in numbers for a living, but hearing one in eight men will get prostate cancer shocked me. I know people affected by this disease; that’s why I always wear Prostate Cancer UK’s ‘Man of Men’ badge on the oche. Knowing we will help raise money to contribute to saving lives every time we throw 180 will be amazing.”
The Sun, in partnership with Paddy Power, brings you a very special evening of darts on December 5 as we look ahead to the World Championship.
And Sun readers can attend for just £5 at the News Building in London Bridge.
The panel is headlined by 16-time world champion Phil Taylor and he will be alongside Mark Webster, Paul Nicholson and Glen Durrant.
Join us at the Sun's Darts Championship preview night
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