The 43-year-old made the decision following his semi-final defeat at Lakeside to Christian Kist.

"I'll miss this place but it's time to move on," he said.

Hearn told BBC Radio 5 live: "I think Hankey and possibly several of the bigger BDO players will join the Q [qualifying] school in a week's time."

He added: "Darts is an exploding sport, there's huge amounts of opportunity, huge amounts of money and there's no surprise these players are making the move."

Fifteen-time world champion Phil Taylor recently urged Hankey to join him on the PDC circuit, saying: "Ted should show some bottle, come over and have a go. We're both Stokies and I want him to come over."

The PDC was first formed in 1992 with just 16 players, there are now over 400.

Hankey is the latest big name player to make the switch, the last one being Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld in 2006, after 15 years on the tour.

The Stoke born player made his debut in the BDO World Championships in 1998, reaching the quarter finals.

His first title came two years later beating Ronnie Baxter 6-0 in the final.

He reached the final again 12 months later, losing to John Walton before winning a second title in 2009 beating Tony O'Shea 7-6.

Hearn predicts that "The Count" will be a big hit.

"He's a big character and he's going to be a big success in the PDC circuit," he said.

"He's got something about him.

"That's the thing about sport these days is that the characters who play the game make it more exciting for the punters to go and watch and of course if they play at the highest level then they're a valuable addition."