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As the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship takes place at London’s Alexandra Palace, leading players such as teenage sensation Luke Littler, Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen are vying for the £1 million prize pool and the Sid Waddell Trophy, but they will have plenty of competition.
Darts has never been better.
This year at Ally Pally, as the London venue is colloquially known, a record prize pool of £5 million is on offer, including the winners’ check.
Other incentives include a £60,000 spot prize for any player who lands nine darts, while the same amount will be won by one lucky fan in attendance, with an equal amount donated to Prostate Cancer UK.
The charity has received more than £2 million from Paddy Power over the past two editions of darts’ greatest spectacle.
@paddypower will remain title sponsor of the World Darts Championship until 2031!
Their groundbreaking charity campaigns have already raised over £2million for @ProstateUK so far.
Next stop: Ally Pally, December 11
January 3. pic.twitter.com/xGtawDPw4R
– PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 1, 2025
Darts and betting are a partnership that works, with mutual benefit
The healthy position darts enjoys is thanks to its partners and backers including Sky Sports in the UK and Flutter Entertainment’s Paddy Power, title sponsor of the PDC World Darts Championship.
The organisation’s chief executive praised the relationship professional darts has with the betting industry, and said this would not change.
Matt Porter was speaking to the SportsPro podcast when he explained how the company currently has a more diverse and extensive partner network than ever before, extending well beyond betting.
However, he also said betting companies are “lining up” to join the PDC.
This is a partnership that works, with mutual benefits, and the synergy is evident.
Darts are relentless. The “arrows” touch the board and the amounts add up. Players instantly evaluate their options, quickly identifying which is the best option to achieve victory.
Then, in the setting of Alexandra Palace, the stakes and sense of occasion are heightened.
With every decent throw, the crowd roars and demands more will from the players until the game is won.
BONUS 9 DART IS BACK!
As part of THE EVEN BIGGER 180, we are once again giving away £180,000 when a 9 dart lands during the World Darts Championship.
It is :
£60,000 to @ProstateUK
Return to @DamonHeta180 nailing… pic.twitter.com/wz31jnXBRO
–Paddy Power (@paddypower) December 10, 2025
Darts naturally lends itself to various markets and betting models, thanks to its speed of play and simple concept.
Ultimately, the business relationship is positive and productive, as evidenced by the sponsorship portfolio on the darts circuit.
Various betting brands, BetMGM, Betfred, Boylesports, BetVictor, Ladbrokes, Mr Vegas and StarGames, are currently partners of PDC events.
This is in addition to Paddy Power, the title sponsor of the World Championship tournament, and both parties have recently extended this agreement until 2031.
Long-established relationship between darts and betting
Paddy Power took over online car retail platform Cazoo in 2024, with the relationship expected to last for at least an eighth year.
PDC CEO Matt Porter said of the new deal: “We are delighted to extend this partnership until 2031 and look forward to working together to continue to grow the event, supporting players and using the global darts platform to raise vital funds and awareness of prostate cancer in the UK. »
Ladbrokes was the title sponsor of darts’ biggest event from 2003 to 2014, then William Hill had the rights from 2015 to 2022.
The connection between darts and games of chance is well established and very visible.
Porter also spoke about the growing pool of partners, as well as the reality of the ongoing relationship with the gaming industry, which dominates sponsorship.
“We have a wide range of partners (including) a hotel partner, a tire partner, a financial services partner, there are half a dozen partners that you will see on set when you watch our events,” he said.
“We have limited inventory for this. So now our sales team is getting creative and putting together packages that are either digital, only enabled, or just different from the standard, traditional brand model.”
Porter continued: “But you have to look at it commercially. The product works for betting companies and betting companies are lining up for it, so we have to service the event first and foremost.”
Just like in football, betting on darts is part of the experience for many fans and spectators, but there are growing concerns about exposure to gambling in sport and its impact on vulnerable demographic groups.
Counterproductive for darts and games of chance
In the English Premier League, a voluntary ban on gambling sponsors on the front of the shirt will come into force for the start of the 2026/27 season.
It’s a form of caution and self-control that is unlikely to be repeated in darts, according to Porter.
He does not want darts to be restricted or overly reliant on sponsorship from the gaming industry, but under his leadership the organization will not limit such deals or reduce the exposure of betting brands that adorn the advertising space around major tournaments.
“I think it’s a continuing evolution,” Porter said.
“We’re definitely not one of those sports that’s going to say, ‘We don’t want to have betting partners anymore.’
“That simply won’t be our model, it would be counterproductive for both us and them.”
Sports betting data indicates that the number of bets placed on darts has increased by 37% since 2018, while specific bets on the PDC’s flagship world championship have increased by 92%.
Information from betting giant Entain also showed total stakes increased by 59%, part of darts’ growing appeal going from strength to strength.
Image credit: PDC Darts
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