PBR Adds Nearly $1.5 Million to its Annual Prize Purse

PUEBLO, Colo. – Following the most successful year in the sport’s history, Professional Bull Riders (PBR) today announced the addition of nearly $1.5 million U.S. dollars in prize money throughout the 2017 PBR worldwide event schedule.

Each PBR Major, beginning with the Monster Energy Buck Off at Madison Square Garden (January 6-8, 2017), will now pay out $250,000 with $100,000 to each winner for a total purse of $1 million across the four annual Majors.

The total 2017 award money across PBR’s events for bull riders and stock contractors will add up to more than $11 million.  More than $500,000 will be added to PBR prize money in the U.S. between the elite Built Ford Tough Series and the Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour, the sport’s premier expansion series.  PBR tours in Canada, Brazil, Australia and Mexico will also increase their prize purse in the 2017 season. Additionally, more than $700,000 of new prize money will be available to the top bull riders in the world as part of the first PBR Global Cup event in November 2017 in Edmonton, Alberta, at Rogers Place.

In addition to the added prize money at the PBR Majors, highlights of the expanded prize money pool include these changes for both bull riders and bulls:

– Each PBR World Finals round will pay $35,000 for first place with additional dollars added through a 7^th place payout in all rounds.

– The PBR World Finals event winner will receive $300,000.

– The World Champion bucking bull will receive $100,000 with the second-place bull receiving $25,000.

PBR will continue to award a $1 million bonus to the annual World Champion rider.

“The $250,000 payout available at each of the PBR Majors is the same payout as the first two PBR World Finals combined,” said Cody Lambert, PBR Director of Livestock. “Winning any one of the PBR Majors in 2017 is the equivalent of winning the first two PBR World Finals back-to-back.  That is life-changing money for any athlete, especially a bull rider, and it is available four times a year at a single PBR event.  That is one of the things we set out to accomplish in forming the PBR 25 years ago.”

“PBR offers the richest payouts in bull riding – awarding more than $170 million since our 1992 founding – and our cowboys and bull stock contractors deserve every penny,” said Sean Gleason, CEO, PBR.  “We’re grateful that these athletes leave it all out on the dirt and are honored to increase their earnings for the second consecutive year. As PBR looks to add Global Cup events as well as major events in each country where we currently compete, we expect our bull riders to continuously benefit from increased earning opportunities.”