‘Luke Littler’ Effect Sparking Darts Betting Surge, Claims Entain CEO

Darts has experienced exponential growth in the UK in 2025, according to the latest betting data revealed by Entain. One of the world’s largest gambling groups published a fascinating report revealing wagering trends in darts, stating that the number of bets placed on the sport has surged by 37% since 2018.

Intriguing, bets placed on the blue ribbon PDC World Darts Championship doubled to 92%. Total stakes, meanwhile, shot up by 59%, reflecting the way punters are gravitating more to darts.

Hitting the bullseye

While the World Darts Championship remains the flagship event, Entain, which is behind some of the most revered UK betting sites, such as Coral and BetMGM, highlighted that year-on-year (YoY) staking growth soared across major televised tournaments. Compared to 2024, the findings showed:

• A 41% increase in betting on the Ladbrokes UK Open.
• A 22% rise across the Premier League season.
• A 32% boost in last month’s World Grand Prix.
• A 7% uptick in wagering on the PDC World Cup of Darts.

Meanwhile, among the most popular bets placed by punters, included ‘who will win the match accumulator’, who will score the most 180s, and specials, such as hitting a 9 darter. Last month, Entain provided a promising Q3 financial update, indicating an 8% increase in UK and Ireland net gaming revenue (NGR), although darts’ contribution wasn’t disclosed.

The ‘Luke Littler’ Effect

Spearheading the darting revolution has been Luke Littler. Having recently eclipsed Michael van Gerwen as the youngest player at the age of 18 to ascend the world rankings, Littler has the world at his feet. Six televised TV titles this year has underlined Littler’s impact, and he will be gunning for a second world title next month at London’s Alexandra Palace.

Littler, who is nicknamed ‘The Nuke’, initially propelled himself to stardom with his extraordinary run to the Final in January 2024. And Entain CEO Stella David reckons Littler should be credited for giving darts betting more exposure.

She said: “The Littler Effect, other rising stars like Beau Greaves, and greater accessibility have transformed darts into a global phenomenon - and our sportsbook data proves it.

“Viewership has surged and betting engagement mirrors this. As a huge fan myself, it’s great to see what was once a niche sport, now driving some of the fastest growth in the industry.”

Darts Boomed Into our Living Rooms

Putting Littler’s meteoric rise to one side, darts has been turbocharged by two significant TV deals. Sky Sports beat Netflix earlier this year in a £125 million landmark agreement, which will see them broadcast the World Darts Championship until 2030.

Whereas ITV, who have had a 20-year association with the sport, will continue to broadcast darts across ITV4 and ITVX. With free-to-air coverage, this has ensured darts remains accessible to those who don’t have a Sky subscription.

On an Upward Trajectory

Ladbrokes, which is also part of the Entain stable of betting brands, is running a competition for this weekend’s Players Championship finals. Known as the Ladisfaction Prize Pot, a customer will be chosen at random before a session, and if a 9 darter is hit, the customer wins £9,000.

Although football and horse racing still top the rankings for most popular sports to wager on in the UK, darts continues to be heavily backed. The Entain results show that darts is gaining serious traction and shouldn’t be derided as a pub game.