Just How Much Can Darts Players Earn?
After recently looking into whether snooker was an economical profession for those wishing to win World Championships at the Crucible Theatre, we believed it might make sense to make a comparable case for those guys and ladies who dare to step to the oche.
With the pinnacle of any darts season being its own World Championships - one that is held at the famous Alexandra Palace in London, this is where the biggest reward pot of the year can be won and what better method to celebrate a new 12 months than by earning a hefty amount of cash at the start.
The showpiece occasion of the year and the greatest cash prize available at any phase, The PDC World Championship -
By TWsk - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=85102750
While significant can be measured in pounds, ₤ 500,000 to be accurate. That is the figure that is managed to the winner of the darts' masterpiece occasion and the last person to receive this financial liberty was Luke Littler in 2025.
Then once again, not everybody can be happy enough to call themselves as the very best darts gamer on the planet and although the winner chooses up a cool half million pounds for their efforts, a preliminary departee will only make ₤ 7,500 by comparison.
To get a better idea of possible profits, here is the breakdown of the significant ranking television events and PDC Pro Tour occasions and the cash prize that is paid for. Everyone wants the greatest prizes on offer, some might have to be happy with whatever they can earn along the method.
Naturally, the topic of revenues is essential to any guy or woman who throws arrows for a living and ultimately everything come down to trying to make a living. Not just to foot the bill, but to also get a better ranking the PDC's Order of Merit.
The Order of Merit is a rolling two-year incomes list that affords those at the higher end to the much better paying tournaments. The more you make over that rolling duration, the more most likely you are to appear at Alexandra Palace.
For example, here are there necessary cut off points for 3 of the most significant yearly competitors:
Players certify for specific televised ranking events based on their world ranking from the PDC Order of Merit, consisting of:
Cazoo World Darts Championship - Top 32 at cut-off date
PDC World Darts Championship Betting Tips Guide
Betfred World Matchplay - Top 16 at cut-off date
World Matchplay Darts Betting Guide
BoyleSports World Grand Prix - Top 16 at cut-off date
World Grand Prix Darts Betting Guide
The top 32 is the most crucial cut-off point of all and here is what the list presently appears like at the time of writing:
2024 World Champion Luke Humphries sits at the top of the list and the ₤ 500,000 he picked up at the start over 12 months ago sees him simply get the better of current World Champion Luke Littler. Humphries has ₤ 1.8 m in incomes over the previous two years, his nearest challenger is at ₤ 1.2 m.
The only 2 men to exceed more than ₤ 1m in revenues during the designated period and with former World Champion Michael Van Gerwen having some work to do if he also wants to clear this limit as the Dutchman currently has just except ₤ 800k earnings to his name.
Micheal Smith 2023 PDC World Champion -
By Sven Mandel - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=92970763
Gerwin sits 3rd after having made ₤ 779k, Rob Cross is fourth having actually made ₤ 566,000 over the past two years. Not a figure that the Englishman will turn down however one that highlights where the disparities start to begin.
Once you get past Gerwyn Price in tenth place, no player has made over ₤ 500k. Remember Luke Littler earned this by winning the World Championship in 2025, this list is a measure over two years.
Who's hitting bullseye in revenues?
We also understand that the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix only accept the top 16 highest earners at their respective cut off dates, Gary Anderson with ₤ 428,250 to his name will hope it gets here rather quickly, as 17th positioned and 2023 World Champion Michael Smith Jose De Sousa is only ₤ 17,250 behind.
While we likewise know that the World Championship accepts the top 32 instantly and at the time of composing, Luke Woodhouse and Brendan Dolan share this position ₤ 266,250 in incomes each to their name and a race in between the 2 to collect more revenues now starts.
These are the gamers who will make the huge tournaments without breaking a sweat but where does the perspiration occurred when players are beginning to pay their costs. If we take the UK's average income as ₤ 33,000, two years at this rate would need a player to make ₤ 66,000.
Now we understand that we can see where the monetary belts might require to be tightened:
At the current rate of UK income profits, only the top 64 gamers can better this through their Order of Merit revenues. Great news if you are Jeffrey De Graaf in 64th, not so great news if you are Thibault Tricole in 65th.
Although Tricole is just under the earnings limit, sponsorships are likely to keep him in steady monetary health. This may likewise have actually to be offset against exploring costs, however after simply losing out by ₤ 3,000 you get the sensation Thibault is not going to be retiring anytime soon.
Burglarizing the huge tournaments is a breeze for leading players, but paying the expenses? Not so simple!
With that said, simply 64 gamers having the ability to beat the UK average salary is a somewhat distressing concern, there is no doubt that darts has actually evolved from leisure activity to sport however the elephant in the room is whether it is growing fast enough.
In fairness that development can likewise be determined by the truth that 96 players make their way to Alexandra Palace each year intending for a shot of glory and each of them will take home a minimum reward of ₤ 7,500.
But what if we took a look at the 96th player in the present Order of Merit and saw how their revenues compared:
For example, If we take a look at the profits of Justin Hood in 96th it does not make for especially good reading. He has actually currently made an average of ₤ 3,750 - a figure that is less than a preliminary exit of the World Championship.
An Exception
- Darts Professional and OLBG Darts Expert
The work is even worse if you are Thomas Lovely who complete the top 100. With ₤ 5,250 earned during the existing Order of Merit cycle, this relates to simply ₤ 2,625 a year. Far except the ₤ 33,000 which is the UK's average wage.
Not only that, but the lower down the darts totem pole, the lower the sponsorship offers can command in value and if Thibault Tricole can manage on an additional financial inducement, the exact same can not be stated for Lovely in 100th.
Something that utilized to recommend that if you burglarize the leading 64 you can start to start dreaming of quiting the day task and in turn, you can also dream about dominating the world. Now though, with the professional trip now set to go mid week, it will be an option between the task and the career. Whereas previously, darts' weekend warriors would rack up the tour prize money, midweek matches are a various proposal and if players wish to play all the upcoming schedule, a minimum of two months off a year is impractical. Now that dream about dominating the world might have to be put on the back burner if the sums do not checkout.
