Professional Darts Player Salary: How Much Do They Earn?
How much does a professional darts player earn, and do the best of them really live the life of a millionaire?
This is the question every darts fan asks themselves. Looking at the cash prizes for first place in certain competitions, such as the BetMGM Premier League of Darts (£275,000) or the World Darts Championship (£500,000), this question is entirely legitimate. The answer is yes!
The world’s best darts players enjoy very comfortable incomes. We’re talking about over €150,000 a year for the world’s top 20 and between €200,000 and €700,000 for the top 10.
Table of players’ winnings at the end of the article
How can you find out how much a professional darts player earns?
Here is an effective way to estimate a professional darts player’s earnings:
Check the world darts rankings, also known as the ‘PDC Order of Merit’.
This ranking, compiled by the Professional Darts Corporation, shows a player’s earnings over the last 24 months.
Simply take the total amount shown in the table and divide it by 24 to work out the player’s monthly income.
Example: In April 2024, Michael Van Gerwen’s competition earnings over the previous 24 months stood at £1,092,500. Dividing these earnings reveals that Mighty Mike earned approximately £45,520.83 per month (1,092,500 / 24 = 45,520.83).
List of the 15 richest darts players of all time
Rank | Player | Career earnings |
|---|---|---|
1 | Michael van Gerwen | £11 857 300 |
2 | £7 517 475 | |
3 | Peter Wright | £6 124 875 |
4 | Gary Anderson | £5 450 725 |
5 | James Wade | £4 969 039 |
6 | Gerwyn Price | £4 672 750 |
7 | Michael Smith | £4 239 800 |
8 | Raymond van Barneveld | £3 650 340 |
9 | Adrian Lewis | £3 382 385 |
10 | Rob Cross | £3 337 700 |
11 | Luke Humphries | £3 326 675 |
12 | Dave Chisnall | £3 084 950 |
13 | Jonny Clayton | £2 832 250 |
14 | Simon Whitlock | £2 568 925 |
15 | Nathan Aspinall | £2 288 925 |
Unlike athletes in team sports who receive a salary from their club, professional darts players are not affiliated with any club, team or similar organisation that pays them.
Professional darts players are self-employed, with their income depending on their turnover, which varies mainly according to their competition winnings. As they are also public figures, a significant portion of the top players’ income comes from sponsorship and the sale of merchandise, particularly darts branded with the professional players’ likeness.
Some players are also true entrepreneurs and know how to put the money they earn to work. Professionals such as Peter Wright or Michael Van Gerwen could potentially earn more from their business ventures than from darts tournaments.
How much do darts players earn in the Premier League?
The Darts Premier League is the most popular competition in the sport, alongside the World Championship. Over the course of 17 match nights, it brings together the eight best darts players of the moment to compete against one another.
Below is a breakdown of the prize money won by players based on their position in the rankings.
Ranking | Prize amount |
|---|---|
1st | £275 000 |
2nd | £125 000 |
3rd and 4th | £85 000 |
5th | £75 000 |
6th | £70 000 |
7th | £65 000 |
8th | £60 000 |
Weekly bonus | £10 000 x 16 |
Total | £1 000 000 |
How much money can a professional darts player earn in a year?
Every year, professional darts players have the opportunity to take part in numerous events and tournaments across Europe and around the world. Each tournament offers the chance to win a prize or qualify for another, more prestigious competition.
If I take the example of one of the world’s top 10 players, capable of securing first place in the world’s most lucrative competitions, the maximum amount a professional darts player can win in a year is £1,347,000.
I arrive at this figure by adding together the first-place cash prize from the main televised ranking events and the PDC Pro Tour events.
Tournament | Winner | Runner-up | Semi-finalists | top 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
World Championship | £500 000 | £200 000 | £100 000 | £50 000 |
World Matchplay | £200 000 | £100 000 | £50 000 | £30 000 |
Grand Slam of Darts | £150 000 | £70 000 | £50 000 | £25 000 |
World Grand Prix | £130 000 | £60 000 | £30 000 | £20 000 |
European Championship | £120 000 | £60 000 | £32 000 | £20 000 |
UK Open | £110 000 | £50 000 | £30 000 | £15 000 |
Players Championship Finals | £100 000 | £50 000 | £25 000 | £15 000 |
13 European Tour events | £25 000 | £10 000 | £6 500 | £5 000 |
30 Players Championship events | £12 000 | £8 000 | £4 000 | £3 000 |
Do darts players pay tax on their winnings?
Yes, darts players pay tax on their winnings, just like any other citizen. As professionals often operate as a business, their tax liability varies depending on the structure they have set up. Most set up limited liability companies and pay a reasonable amount of tax.
It is also important to note that when a player wins a prize, part of the winnings is first used to cover the running costs of their business (travel, accommodation, meals, equipment, etc.). Next, a portion is allocated to the players’ union, and finally, the remainder is deposited into the winner’s bank account. It is on this final sum that taxation is primarily calculated.
Estimated earnings of PDC players
Estimates based on PDC earnings (World Rankings prize money over 2 years). Actual revenue also includes sponsors, exhibitions and TV contracts.
| # | Player | PDC Earnings (2 years) | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🏴 Luke Littler | 2 961 000 £ | 1 480 500 £ | 123 375 £ |
| 2 | 🏴 Luke Humphries | 1 206 500 £ | 603 250 £ | 50 271 £ |
| 3 | 🇳🇱 Gian van Veen | 948 250 £ | 474 125 £ | 39 510 £ |
| 4 | 🇳🇱 Michael van Gerwen | 710 250 £ | 355 125 £ | 29 594 £ |
| 5 | 🏴 Jonny Clayton | 649 000 £ | 324 500 £ | 27 042 £ |
| 6 | 🏴 James Wade | 637 250 £ | 318 625 £ | 26 552 £ |
| 7 | 🇬🇧 Josh Rock | 619 250 £ | 309 625 £ | 25 802 £ |
| 8 | 🏴 Gerwyn Price | 617 750 £ | 308 875 £ | 25 740 £ |
| 9 | 🏴 Stephen Bunting | 615 250 £ | 307 625 £ | 25 635 £ |
| 10 | 🏴 Gary Anderson | 600 250 £ | 300 125 £ | 25 010 £ |
| 11 | 🇳🇱 Danny Noppert | 594 000 £ | 297 000 £ | 24 750 £ |
| 12 | 🏴 Ryan Searle | 555 250 £ | 277 625 £ | 23 135 £ |
| 13 | 🏴 Chris Dobey | 547 250 £ | 273 625 £ | 22 802 £ |
| 14 | 🏴 Ross Smith | 489 500 £ | 244 750 £ | 20 396 £ |
| 15 | 🏴 Nathan Aspinall | 481 250 £ | 240 625 £ | 20 052 £ |
| 16 | 🇩🇪 Martin Schindler | 467 250 £ | 233 625 £ | 19 469 £ |
| 17 | 🇳🇱 Jermaine Wattimena | 438 000 £ | 219 000 £ | 18 250 £ |
| 18 | 🇧🇪 Mike De Decker | 423 250 £ | 211 625 £ | 17 635 £ |
| 19 | 🇦🇺 Damon Heta | 414 750 £ | 207 375 £ | 17 281 £ |
| 20 | 🇳🇱 Wessel Nijman | 402 250 £ | 201 125 £ | 16 760 £ |
| 21 | 🏴 Rob Cross | 399 250 £ | 199 625 £ | 16 635 £ |
| 22 | 🏴 Luke Woodhouse | 397 250 £ | 198 625 £ | 16 552 £ |
| 23 | 🏴 Dave Chisnall | 379 000 £ | 189 500 £ | 15 792 £ |
| 24 | 🇬🇧 Daryl Gurney | 375 250 £ | 187 625 £ | 15 635 £ |
| 25 | 🇵🇱 Krzysztof Ratajski | 353 000 £ | 176 500 £ | 14 708 £ |
| 26 | 🏴 Ryan Joyce | 352 750 £ | 176 375 £ | 14 698 £ |
| 27 | 🏴 Ritchie Edhouse | 334 000 £ | 167 000 £ | 13 917 £ |
| 28 | 🇳🇱 Dirk van Duijvenbode | 332 250 £ | 166 125 £ | 13 844 £ |
| 29 | 🏴 Cameron Menzies | 328 750 £ | 164 375 £ | 13 698 £ |
| 30 | 🏴 Andrew Gilding | 315 500 £ | 157 750 £ | 13 146 £ |
| 31 | 🏴 Michael Smith | 314 250 £ | 157 125 £ | 13 094 £ |
| 32 | 🏴 Peter Wright | 294 750 £ | 147 375 £ | 12 281 £ |
| 33 | 🏴 Joe Cullen | 292 000 £ | 146 000 £ | 12 167 £ |
| 34 | 🇩🇪 Ricardo Pietreczko | 285 750 £ | 142 875 £ | 11 906 £ |
| 35 | 🇳🇱 Kevin Doets | 237 750 £ | 118 875 £ | 9 906 £ |
| 36 | 🇳🇱 Raymond van Barneveld | 237 250 £ | 118 625 £ | 9 885 £ |
| 37 | 🇧🇪 Dimitri Van den Bergh | 228 000 £ | 114 000 £ | 9 500 £ |
| 38 | 🏴 Martin Lukeman | 220 500 £ | 110 250 £ | 9 188 £ |
| 39 | 🇳🇱 Niels Zonneveld | 204 750 £ | 102 375 £ | 8 531 £ |
| 40 | 🏴 Callan Rydz | 198 250 £ | 99 125 £ | 8 260 £ |
| 41 | 🇮🇪 William O'Connor | 189 750 £ | 94 875 £ | 7 906 £ |
| 42 | 🇮🇪 Brendan Dolan | 178 250 £ | 89 125 £ | 7 427 £ |
| 43 | 🇱🇻 Madars Razma | 177 250 £ | 88 625 £ | 7 385 £ |
| 44 | 🏴 Scott Williams | 176 250 £ | 88 125 £ | 7 344 £ |
| 45 | 🇩🇪 Gabriel Clemens | 167 750 £ | 83 875 £ | 6 990 £ |
| 46 | 🏴 Ricky Evans | 165 500 £ | 82 750 £ | 6 896 £ |
| 47 | 🇮🇪 Mickey Mansell | 161 250 £ | 80 625 £ | 6 719 £ |
| 48 | 🏴 Connor Scutt | 160 250 £ | 80 125 £ | 6 677 £ |
| 49 | 🇸🇪 Jeffrey De Graaf | 156 500 £ | 78 250 £ | 6 521 £ |
| 50 | 🏴 James Hurrell | 150 500 £ | 75 250 £ | 6 271 £ |