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 | 2 929 500 £ | 1 464 750 £ | 122 063 £ |
| 2 | 🏴 Luke Humphries | 1 198 000 £ | 599 000 £ | 49 917 £ |
| 3 | 🇳🇱 Gian van Veen | 932 750 £ | 466 375 £ | 38 865 £ |
| 4 | 🇳🇱 Michael van Gerwen | 716 750 £ | 358 375 £ | 29 865 £ |
| 5 | 🏴 Jonny Clayton | 671 000 £ | 335 500 £ | 27 958 £ |
| 6 | 🏴 James Wade | 665 750 £ | 332 875 £ | 27 740 £ |
| 7 | 🏴 Gerwyn Price | 619 750 £ | 309 875 £ | 25 823 £ |
| 8 | 🇬🇧 Josh Rock | 616 250 £ | 308 125 £ | 25 677 £ |
| 9 | 🏴 Stephen Bunting | 603 750 £ | 301 875 £ | 25 156 £ |
| 10 | 🇳🇱 Danny Noppert | 594 000 £ | 297 000 £ | 24 750 £ |
| 11 | 🏴 Gary Anderson | 573 750 £ | 286 875 £ | 23 906 £ |
| 12 | 🏴 Ryan Searle | 571 250 £ | 285 625 £ | 23 802 £ |
| 13 | 🏴 Chris Dobey | 557 750 £ | 278 875 £ | 23 240 £ |
| 14 | 🏴 Ross Smith | 521 000 £ | 260 500 £ | 21 708 £ |
| 15 | 🏴 Nathan Aspinall | 513 250 £ | 256 625 £ | 21 385 £ |
| 16 | 🇳🇱 Wessel Nijman | 486 250 £ | 243 125 £ | 20 260 £ |
| 17 | 🇳🇱 Jermaine Wattimena | 471 000 £ | 235 500 £ | 19 625 £ |
| 18 | 🇩🇪 Martin Schindler | 451 500 £ | 225 750 £ | 18 813 £ |
| 19 | 🏴 Luke Woodhouse | 428 750 £ | 214 375 £ | 17 865 £ |
| 20 | 🇧🇪 Mike De Decker | 418 250 £ | 209 125 £ | 17 427 £ |
| 21 | 🇦🇺 Damon Heta | 416 000 £ | 208 000 £ | 17 333 £ |
| 22 | 🏴 Rob Cross | 384 750 £ | 192 375 £ | 16 031 £ |
| 23 | 🇵🇱 Krzysztof Ratajski | 383 000 £ | 191 500 £ | 15 958 £ |
| 24 | 🇬🇧 Daryl Gurney | 371 750 £ | 185 875 £ | 15 490 £ |
| 25 | 🏴 Ryan Joyce | 367 250 £ | 183 625 £ | 15 302 £ |
| 26 | 🏴 Dave Chisnall | 364 000 £ | 182 000 £ | 15 167 £ |
| 27 | 🏴 Andrew Gilding | 363 500 £ | 181 750 £ | 15 146 £ |
| 28 | 🇳🇱 Dirk van Duijvenbode | 350 750 £ | 175 375 £ | 14 615 £ |
| 29 | 🏴 Cameron Menzies | 342 500 £ | 171 250 £ | 14 271 £ |
| 30 | 🇳🇱 Kevin Doets | 313 500 £ | 156 750 £ | 13 063 £ |
| 31 | 🏴 Ritchie Edhouse | 312 250 £ | 156 125 £ | 13 010 £ |
| 32 | 🏴 Michael Smith | 311 750 £ | 155 875 £ | 12 990 £ |
| 33 | 🏴 Joe Cullen | 300 750 £ | 150 375 £ | 12 531 £ |
| 34 | 🏴 Peter Wright | 297 750 £ | 148 875 £ | 12 406 £ |
| 35 | 🇩🇪 Ricardo Pietreczko | 284 250 £ | 142 125 £ | 11 844 £ |
| 36 | 🇳🇱 Niels Zonneveld | 229 000 £ | 114 500 £ | 9 542 £ |
| 37 | 🇧🇪 Dimitri Van den Bergh | 227 500 £ | 113 750 £ | 9 479 £ |
| 38 | 🇳🇱 Raymond van Barneveld | 217 500 £ | 108 750 £ | 9 063 £ |
| 39 | 🏴 Martin Lukeman | 216 250 £ | 108 125 £ | 9 010 £ |
| 40 | 🇮🇪 William O'Connor | 211 000 £ | 105 500 £ | 8 792 £ |
| 41 | 🏴 Callan Rydz | 196 250 £ | 98 125 £ | 8 177 £ |
| 42 | 🇱🇻 Madars Razma | 188 500 £ | 94 250 £ | 7 854 £ |
| 43 | 🇩🇪 Niko Springer | 185 750 £ | 92 875 £ | 7 740 £ |
| 44 | 🏴 Connor Scutt | 178 750 £ | 89 375 £ | 7 448 £ |
| 45 | 🇩🇪 Gabriel Clemens | 170 500 £ | 85 250 £ | 7 104 £ |
| 46 | 🏴 Justin Hood | 170 500 £ | 85 250 £ | 7 104 £ |
| 47 | 🏴 Scott Williams | 170 000 £ | 85 000 £ | 7 083 £ |
| 48 | 🇮🇪 Mickey Mansell | 169 250 £ | 84 625 £ | 7 052 £ |
| 49 | 🏴 Ricky Evans | 164 750 £ | 82 375 £ | 6 865 £ |
| 50 | 🇮🇪 Brendan Dolan | 160 500 £ | 80 250 £ | 6 688 £ |