The surge in darts popularity, known as the ‘Luke Littler effect,’ has led to a significant increase in demand for the sport, as confirmed by Barry Hearn. Prize money for darts is set to reach new heights this year, with Littler, an 18-year-old rising star in the sport, emerging as a dominant figure after his success at the 2024 World Championship. Not only has Littler become a world champion, but his impact on the sport overall has been remarkable.
Barry Hearn, a key figure in darts, attributes the sport’s growing popularity to Littler’s influence since his breakthrough. However, Hearn expressed challenges in meeting the overwhelming global demand, stating, “It’s [darts] just getting bigger and bigger. I’m actually having a problem that there is only 365 days in a year! The demand worldwide is so huge that I could fill that twice.”
Describing the players’ exceptional performances, Hearn highlighted the outstanding achievements of Luke Littler, who is rapidly gaining recognition as a phenomenon within the sport. Notably, the financial landscape for players has also been transformed by the ‘Littler effect,’ with Littler himself earning over £1 million in prize money since entering senior events and establishing himself as a top competitor.
Hearn further announced that darts will break new ground this year in terms of prize money, surpassing the £25 million mark distributed among event winners throughout 2025. The significant increase in prize money is in response to the growing demand for darts, leading to more European events and the relocation of the Premier League to Belgium.
Despite being defeated by Michael van Gerwen in the World Series of Darts final, where Van Gerwen claimed victory over Littler with a score of 11-7, the event marked a milestone for the Dutchman, earning £80,000 for his triumph in front of an enthusiastic Amsterdam audience.