Luke Littler banned from scooping huge £60k bonus at World Darts Championship due to strict rule but there's a twist

Luke Littler will not receive a bonus for his efforts at the PDC World Darts Championship for a bizarre reason.

Littler, 17, will play his first match of the PDC World Darts Championship on Saturday, 21 December, when he will take on Ryan Meikle, who beat Fallon Sherrock on Tuesday night.

Of course, Littler came second in the 2023/24 edition of the tournament after losing against Luke Humphries in the final, which was the catalyst for an interesting rivalry between the two players.

The teenager has already hit the headlines this week, winning the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award, having won ten senior titles in 2024.

Littler is the favourite to win the PDC's premier competition and pocket the £500,000 prize money.

But he will not receive a bonus if he hits a nine-darter.

According to The Sun, betting company Paddy Power will be paying a £60,000 bonus to each competitor that hits a nine-darter.

The company have also committed to giving one fortunate fan £60,000, and they are also set to donate the same amount to Prostate Cancer UK for each perfect leg.

Luke Littler will compete in the PDC World Darts Championship this Saturday (Credit:Getty)

But due to his age, Littler will not be able to be awarded the bonus as he is the only player taking part in the tournament who is under the age of 18 – making him ineligible for the prize.

Now, another company has stepped in and promised to pay him £60,000 if he can throw a nine-darter.

Warrington-based Village Hotels issued a statement, which read: “What Paddy Power and the PDC have done in supporting Prostate Cancer UK through The BIGGER 180 campaign has been remarkable, and the nine-darter bonus promises to make this year’s even bigger.

“But given what Luke has done in the sport already, and our close bond developed with the PDC since joining as a partner, we couldn’t see one of the biggest names miss out – so we wanted to do our bit.

“But if helps inspire Luke to hitting the magic number, and if it means more money goes to saving lives as part of the wider campaign, then it’ll be a small price to pay.”