Darts icon Dennis Priestley has made a bold prediction about what the likes of Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen could soon be playing for at the World Championship
Luke Littler and his rivals will soon be battling it out for a colossal £1million at the World Championship.
That’s according to darts icon Dennis Priestley, who expects prize money in the burgeoning sport to soar over the next few years. The Warrington superstar, 17, collected £200,000 for reaching the 2024 final, where he lost to Luke Humphries, who banked the top prize of £500,000 out of a total prize fund of £2.5million.
Littler, who faces Stephen Bunting in the semi-finals tonight (Thursday), is looking to go one better, with Michael van Gerwen or Chris Dobey awaiting in the final. The prize money for the 2025 tournament has remained unchanged, but given darts’ surging profile, thanks in chief to the Littler effect, it is expected to grow in the coming years.
Priestley, who earned just £16,000 for winning the first PDC World Championship in 1994, believes it won’t be long before the world champion is picking up £1million. Priestley told the Sports Daily: “Before the decade is out, the winner will get £1million, for sure.
“It won’t be a big jump [from £500k to £1million] though, adding £100k to the prize pot each year could be a good way to proceed. We won’t see the prize money reach as high as £5million, at least not in mine or Barry Hearn’s lifetime.”
PDC chairman Hearn has regularly stated his desire to increase the prize pot at the sport’s premier event. Whether it reaches the £1m mark could rely on negotiations with Sky Sports, who broadcast most of the PDC majors, including the World Matchplay and Premier League, as well as the Worlds.
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Sky has been the PDC’s main broadcast partner since the darts company’s inception in the 1990s, with their current deal expiring this year. With prize money only set to go up, Priestley believes Littler could potentially earn £1m a year for the rest of his career, provided he stays humble and motivated.
“I think Luke Littler could earn at least £1million per year throughout the rest of his career as long as he keeps his standards high and his love for the sport doesn’t decrease,” said two-time world champion.
“Littler has to keep himself motivated, he has to think of the accolades and records that are there for him instead of the money.”
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