Tuesday 29 December 2015 14:44, UK
A total of £650,000 will be added to the prize funds across the biggest Professional Darts Corporation events next season.
Worldwide PDC events in 2016 will carry funds of more than £10m, with the addition of prize money to the William Hill World Darts Championship, Unibet European Championship and Cash Converters Players Championship Finals.
There will also be an additional £15,000 on offer at each of the 20 Players Championship tournaments, which will be worth £75,000 apiece and add a total of £300,000 to prize funds on the PDC ProTour.
Prize money in the Unibet European Championship will rise by £100,000 to a total of £400,000, with qualification for the 2016 tournament to be based solely on money won in the 10 European Tour events during the year.
Changes for 2016 are not just limited to prize money, with the Players Championship Finals being expanded to 64 qualifiers across two stages at Butlins in Minehead. The total prize fund for the finals weekend will increase to £400,000.
An additional £150,000 in prize money will be available at the year-ending World Championships, with the winner taking home £350,000, an increase of £50,000.
"This is the latest phase of our move to increase both prize money and playing opportunities for our players and is another boost for players across the circuit," said PDC chairman Barry Hearn.
"Expanding the Cash Converters Players Championship Finals to 64 players will double the number of competitors and allows us to add a second stage at the Butlins Minehead Resort for what is already a hugely popular tournament.
"Coupled with the amendment to the qualifying format for both the Players Championship Finals and the Unibet European Championship, this means that the increase in ProTour prize money also takes on greater significance for our players.
"We've said for many years that there's never been a better time to be a darts player within the PDC system, and in 2016 there will be more opportunities than ever and more prize money than ever for players with the ambition to be successful in our sport.
"We were already expecting a record entry for the 2016 PDC Qualifying School, but I'm sure that this announcement will further galvanise the hopes of aspiring players worldwide to try to win a PDC Tour Card in January."
