World Darts Championship Betting Tips

The PDC World Championship returns with its largest ever field, as 128 players head to Alexandra Palace aiming for the £1,000,000 top prize.

Luke Littler is the clear favourite, having raised the status of the sport while taking his own game to a standard that very few have ever reached.

He holds six of the eight ranked televised titles, and BetMGM have him at 10/11 to add another. Littler opens against Darius Labanauskas, a 2020 quarter-finalist, and his route to the last eight appears especially favourable before a possible meeting with 2021 champion Gerwyn Price.

Luke Humphries sits on the opposite side of the draw, leading many to expect a final featuring the world’s top two, repeating their 2024 showdown.

Tipster Ben Smith has picked out four standout bets from the opening round, all taken with BetMGM, one of the top darts betting sites you can use over the next four weeks.

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Dec 14: Lukas Wenig vs Wesley Plaisier - Wenig to Win (6/5)

Wesley Plaisier is one of several Dutch prospects who have carried clear potential in recent years, highlighted by his WDF World Masters win in 2022, a tournament that has helped launch many notable careers. His progress continued with a semi-final run at the 2023 German Darts Open, and in 2024, he advanced further, adding another WDF World Masters title and reaching three PDC Pro Tour finals, winning one in Wigan.

Things have slowed in 2025. He has not won a match on television or the European Tour and has not returned to a Pro Tour final. His first round opponent has shown the opposite trend, reaching a Pro Tour final in July and following it with an excellent Grand Slam quarter-final appearance.

There is very little between them on numbers across the past year, but Wenig arrives after a clear breakthrough while Plaisier appears to have stalled. I would have priced Wenig as a slight favourite, so 6/5 is appealing.

Dec 14: James Hurrell vs Stowe Buntz - Hurrell to Win & Most 180s (17/20)

Many will remember Stowe Buntz for his run to the Grand Slam quarter-finals in 2023. He produced a 102 average to sweep past Peter Wright 5-1 in his opener, then managed two further wins despite slipping below a 90 average in all of his remaining matches.

Since then, he has had no success in the PDC. He lost 3-0 to Kevin Doets on his World Championship debut two years ago and went down by the same scoreline to Nick Kenny last season, again posting averages stuck in the 80s. His recent form in North America has been hit and miss, with several displays dipping into the 60s, and nothing to suggest he is close to a first Ally Pally win.

James Hurrell offers a steadier profile. He is a consistent low-90s performer who rarely drifts too far away from that level. He beat Jim Long on his tournament debut last year and has put together some decent Pro Tour results, particularly in the second half of this season.

He scores far heavier than Buntz, especially in the 180 department, and looks well placed to take control of this match and win it with authority.

Dec 15: Connor Scutt vs Simon Whitlock - Whitlock to Win (27/10)

Having lost his Tour Card at the end of 2024, it did not take Simon Whitlock long to force his way back onto the Ally Pally stage. Last season was the first time he had missed the end-of-year showpiece since switching from the BDO in 2019, and he has worked steadily to put that right.

His overall level is not what it once was, but the Australian remains a reasonably capable player. He reached the World Cup quarter-finals alongside Damon Heta in the summer, and his 2025 record still contains enough low-to-mid-90s averages for me to take a small chance on him at the price available.

Connor Scutt’s best game would probably be too much for Whitlock, yet we have not seen that level on a regular basis recently. He remains a player who can drift well below his peak, and I am not comfortable trusting him on the big stage yet.

Dec 19: Daryl Gurney vs Beau Greaves - Gurney to Win (11/10)

Beau Greaves is the favourite against Daryl Gurney in her debut match at the PDC World Championship, and, despite her undoubted talent, that feels a step too far for me.

The time is clearly right for her to make the leap and start competing among the men more regularly, but until she has done it more often and proven she can handle the pressure and put together big wins, I am not ready to side with her at odds-on against a two-time major champion and current World Cup holder.

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