Luke Littler is turning darts into a money-making machine

Yahoo

29-05-2025

Kylie Minogue was on the same stage earlier this week, but selling out 14,000 tickets at London's O2 Arena has proved no more difficult with Luke Littler as the headline act.
Tickets for the best seats at Thursday's Premier League Darts final are being advertised on resale sites for more than £1,000, with Littler, Luke Humphries, Nathan Aspinall and Gerwyn Price squaring off for the £275,000 first prize following a 16-week tour that has reinforced darts' status among the nation's favourite sports.
After five perfect nine-dart finishes and sell-outs everywhere from Glasgow, Belfast and Cardiff to Berlin, Rotterdam and Dublin, the numbers do not lie.
LUKE LITTLER HITS THE NINE DARTER! 🚨What a moment!Luke Littler joins the nine-dart club in the Premier League this year, as he pins the nine-darter in the fourth leg of this final and now leads 3-1!📺 https://t.co/CxOorrFXK9#PLDarts25 pic.twitter.com/yT8vFjQpMy
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) March 20, 2025
The Professional Darts Corporation has just agreed a new five-year broadcast deal with Sky that doubles its previous contract and the next world darts champion will win a once unthinkable £1 million (Phil Taylor earned just £12,000 in 1995).
Littler's World Championship win against Michael van Gerwen attracted a far bigger peak live audience on Sky Sports of 3.1 million than the 1.8 million that tuned in for Rory McIlroy's US Masters triumph.
And, according to the accounts that were posted last month, darts is now accumulating a bigger annual profit (£13.5 million) for the Hearn family's Matchroom Sport company than even boxing (£11.4 million). Plans for continued global expansion have even prompted comparison with the multi-billion dollar juggernaut that is World Wrestling Entertainment.
So much, though, depends upon the talismanic Littler who, while going from strength to strength on the board, has increasingly found himself in a pantomime villain role with some of the crowds.
A proud fan of Manchester United, Littler responded to boos in Leeds and Liverpool with a smirk, pinpoint checkouts and respective 'crybaby' and 'calm down' gestures.
Luke Littler listens closely to the Leeds crowd! 👂😅 pic.twitter.com/UQr2wMRn2h
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) May 9, 2024
It was done with a twinkle – those close to him say that he loves the banter with fans – although he did seem genuinely irritated and baffled by the booing he received in losing 7-4 to Gian van Veen at the German Open in Munich last month.
In an Instagram post that was written on his way home, Littler said that he was glad to not be returning until October, although he has since confirmed that he will play in the World Cup of Darts with Humphries in Frankfurt next month.
'I had a little head-loss moment,' he later said. 'I just don't get it. You do your walk-on, but then as soon as I got on stage, I started getting booed. It's something we've all got to deal with.'
With darts largely making its fortune on the atmosphere of a booze-fuelled night out and Littler himself often playing along, it is something that is probably not worth overcomplicating. He is, after all, also the player who gets the most cheers and is easily the main ticket seller.
'I reckon he can become an Eric Bristow or Ronnie O'Sullivan character of the sport – he doesn't take any nonsense,' says Rob Cross, the 2018 world champion. 'Just let him be himself. We need that sort of stuff in sport, it gets people wound-up and makes for better atmospheres.
'I love the fact he's got a bit of a swagger about him. The boy isn't arrogant, he just enjoys the fun of it all. He's quiet in the practice room. But put him on that stage and he comes alive. He's done amazing to deal with the media and spotlight over the past 18 months.'
Humphries says that booing follows success. 'I really never had anything like that until I became world champion and world No 1,' he says. 'He's not the underdog anymore. Luke just has to take it on the chin and accept that this is what happens when you get to the top.'
With almost six million followers across the social media platforms TikTok and Instagram, Littler has transcended darts in a similar way to Tiger Woods and golf.
That reach has meant enough invites to fill multiple diaries and he has made a conscious decision since becoming world champion to scale back live TV appearances that last year included the Jonathan Ross Show and Comic Relief. He has paraded the World Championship trophy at Old Trafford and Warrington Wolves – and is signed up with Deliveroo to find the nation's top kebab – but his diary is essentially crammed with playing darts.
Aside from a packed PDC tournament calendar, there are lucrative exhibitions that can now stretch far beyond the traditional working men's club. A luxury hotel and casino in Estonia, for example, has recently inquired what it would cost for him to play in front of just 30 high-rolling Chinese businessmen.
'From the days of darts players doing exhibitions, and being the last ones to leave and generally drinking as much as everybody else, the new way is a tsunami of talent from all over the world,' says Barry Hearn, the PDC president. 'They don't drink anymore. They're smelling the money and realise they've got to be professional.
'Luke Littler is going to earn, I don't know, five million quid this year. He's turning down dates that are fortunes. He's being sensible with his diary. He's a phenomenon. This kid does things that I've never seen.
'I've got two young grandsons – they're besotted. They want to see Luke Littler play because they can identify with him. He's just normal. It's gone through to the kids and the mums.'
Still only just 18, Littler has dominated the Premier League in the four months since he became the youngest ever world champion. His six nightly wins are a record and an average of more than 102 is well up on what he produced in winning the tournament last year. The match only two weeks ago, when he averaged 116 to Humphries's 110, is already regarded among the best in the sport's history.
THE GREATEST PREMIER LEAGUE MATCH EVER?! 😳It's always a spectacle when Luke Littler and Luke Humphries face each other on the oche, but this one proved to be an instant CLASSIC! 👇 pic.twitter.com/cLOvyAu92Q
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 16, 2025
'I've never known a standard like this – he is a freak and, as long as he keeps doing well, performing, and wanting to play darts, there's no limit to where the sport can go,' says Aspinall, who has known Littler since he was about 10.
It was striking, though, to hear Aspinall give an interview this week on Talksport in which he doubted whether Littler would stick around long enough to surpass Phil Taylor's all-time records.
'I think he'll be off in about five years,' Aspinall said. 'He does a lot on YouTube, mates with Angry Ginge [on whose YouTube channel Littler appeared in a recent football match]. I can see him going down that path. He's already getting fed up of playing and travelling all the time.'
You could certainly imagine Littler becoming more selective over time. The really big events, however, still sound irresistible and he could join only Taylor and Van Gerwen in successfully defending the Premier League title.
'I don't know where he [Aspinall] has got that from – don't worry, I'll be here in 10 years,' said Littler upon arriving at the O2 on Wednesday.
'It's crazy to even think about retiring – the money is there to be won... everything has gone up.
'There will always be a target on my back and I know if I'm not on my A-game, they will catch me out. It's obviously my first big TV title defence. Walking into the venue, practising, there might be nerves, there might not be. But for myself, I'm looking forward to it, looking forward to seeing tens of thousands of fans. I can't wait.'