A leading online casino and poker room has moved into the world of snooker advertising by signing up to sponsor the World Snooker Championship.

888.com has struck a five-year, multi-million euro deal with World Snooker. It is also an associate sponsor of other snooker events including the UK Championship, the Masters and the Grand Prix.

The online gaming company, which has 20 million members worldwide, previously sponsored Premier League Darts and has been looking to secure wide TV exposure since the deal ended. The 2005 Snooker World Championships were watched by a peak audience of 7.8 million people.

The event was previously sponsored by tobacco company Embassy who were forced to pull out after the government banned tobacco advertising.

John Anderson, 888.com's chief executive, welcomed the deal: "I am delighted that we have the opportunity to be associated with something as prestigious as snooker's premier event.

"Snooker is a national institution in the UK and is booming overseas. We are excited to be playing a part in taking the sport into a new era."

Rodney Walker, chairman of World Snooker, added: "The World Championships is our flagship tournament and a major event on the sporting calendar. This announcement comes at the end of a very good nine months for snooker.

"We have secured the future of the World Championship at the Crucible, the traditional home of snooker, we have signed a five-year agreement with BBC TV to ensure that the World Championship and the other main snooker tournaments remain on terrestrial television and now we are able to reveal this new multi-million pound sponsorship."

This year's World Championship will take place at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield from April 15th to May 1st.