PREDATOR PRO BILLIARD SERIES TO PAY $500,000 IN PRIZE MONEY IN PUERTO RICO

Puerto Rico Billiards Expo returns in November with huge payouts at pro events

The Predator Pro Billiard Series will pay a total of half a million dollars in prize money across its three professional events at the Puerto Rico Billiards Expo, set for November 7-12 in San Juan.

The 16-team WPA World Teams Championship has more than doubled its prize fund to $300,000 ahead of its first playing in the Caribbean. In addition, the 128-player Medalla Light Puerto Rico Men’s Open has a $125,000 prize fund ($74,440 added) and the Medalla Light Puerto Rico Women’s Open will have 64 players and a prize fund of $75,000 ($49,720 added).

The winning team of the WPA World Teams Championship will earn $120,000. The winner of the Men’s Medalla Light Puerto Rico Open will win $37,500 and the Women’s champion will receive $22,500.

The three pro events take place alongside the CSI Leagues Caribbean Championship at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan as the event returns for a second time, on the back of the huge success of its inaugural staging in 2022.

More than 60 billiard tables will house more than 1,500 professional and league players from nearly 50 countries. That is an increase on the impressive number of 1,000 players and over 8,500 fans who attended the 2022 event.

After just one year the event has already become one of the most anticipated in billiards, after players, fans, exhibitors, and officials all commented on how much they enjoyed the 2022 Expo for its staging and the local support received, which created a party atmosphere inside the Puerto Rico Convention Center.

Last year’s Expo was also a huge success for Puerto Rico, achieving 3,250 hotel nights booked in one week and an economic impact of four million dollars for the island.

“Having Puerto Rico as a host, for the second consecutive time, means that we are on track to establish the island as the Billiards Capital of the World and to present to the world that this sport is a great business and tourism opportunity for the island,” said Karim Belhaj, CEO of Predator Group.

“The economic impact for Puerto Rico was estimated at four million dollars; this impact will be driven by an increase in tourism, an increase in visitor spending on lodging, restaurants, transportation and local attractions. In addition, the event will stimulate direct and indirect job creation and increase the marketing value of all communication and coverage generated by the event.”

The Predator WPA World’s Team Championship will feature 16 teams, with professional players competing on behalf of their countries, including the Philippines, Spain, USA, Germany, China-Taipei, Canada and more. This event features men’s and women’s players competing in 10-ball singles and mixed doubles.

At last year’s WPA World’s Team Championship in Austria, the Philippines team, comprising Rubilen Amit, Carlo Biado and Johann Chua, were crowned champions against Great Britain, led by Kelly Fisher, Jayson Shaw and Darren Appleton.

In addition, among the events presented at the Puerto Rico Billiard Expo, the Medalla Light Puerto Rico 10-Ball Men’s and Women’s Open, where last year’s winners were Carlo Biado, from the Philippines, and Wei Tzu-Chien, from Taiwan. We will also have the participation of the leagues in different formats, playing on Predator Apex tables and will be open only to members of the BCA Pool League and USA Pool League.

The Puerto Rico Billiard Expo is part of the conglomerate of events within the Predator US Pro Billiard Series and World Pro Billiard Series, endorsed by the World Pool Billiard Association and CueSports International.