The 17-year-old sensation is still in the first year of his professional darts career – but he has already bagged an eye-watering amount of prize money
Darts’ teenage sensation Luke Littler is nearing millionaire status according to reports.
The 17-year-old burst onto the scene last year following a string of impressive performances – he was just 16 at the time. In his first PDC World Darts Championship, he defeated Raymond van Barneveld, Brendan Dolan, and Rob Cross before eventually losing in the final to then-world number one Luke Humphries. Littler became the youngest player to feature in the final – at 16 years and 347 days.
Since, his breakout tournament, Littler has continued his upward trajectory – both in achievement and media attention. The Runcorn-born Littler recently lifted his fourth televised title – the World Series of Darts – in Amsterdam just a couple of weeks ago.
The triumph saw him capture a tidy £80,000 payday in the process. As reported by the MEN last week, his net worth was thought to have grown 10% taking his overall bank balance to £700,000 – however, it is thought that could become a millionaire before his 18th birthday on January 21, 2015.
PDC Chief Barry Hearn – father of boxing promotor Eddie Hearn – spoke about the 17-year-old’s earning potential on his show the ‘Barry Hearn Show’ recently. The 76-year-old said: “I am pre-judging his performances, but I’d be surprised if he didn’t to be honest with you.”
Hearn added: “There is darts players out there already earning well over £1million – £2million per year as it is. That is where the sport has got to and for Luke and the sport, it is only just the beginning.
“We’ve got opportunities to commercially expand that sport, and the joy when these kids faces [pick up prize money].
“Without building Luke Littler up too much, he is one of them stars who people identify with.”
Winning the Premier League of darts earlier this year – in his first appearance in the competition – saw Littler add a staggering £215,000 alone to his hefty bank balance.
If the youngster continues his form, his earnings will skyrocket, as will the popularity of darts across social media and TV networks. Gone are the days of smoke-filled arenas and middle-aged men at the darts – all demographics are welcome.
Fans can relate to the players; with the younger generation supporting Littler while the older supporters hope the likes of Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright can pull a few performances out of the bag in upcoming events.
The Warrington-based thrower may also be in for a career-best payday if he is successful in winning the PDC World Darts Championship – which gets underway on December 15, lasts until January 3, 2025.
If he goes one step further than his second-place finish last time, he could land a £500,000 prize. Littler already boasts partnerships with brands such as Boohoo – which he promotes to his 1.3m Instagram followers. As well as more niche brands such as Targetdarts, Lightcliffe Skoda (car dealership) and Prestige Building Supplies, all on board for the journey.
Leave a Reply