A professional darts player once revealed exactly how much stars are really paid after taking part in the PDC World Darts Championship.
The 2025/26 PDC World Darts Championship is currently taking place at London’s Alexandra Palace, with reigning champion Luke Littler among those hopeful of winning this year’s tournament.
Of course, favourites such as Littler, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen will likely be motivated by simply being crowned world champion, but winning this year’s tournament comes with the added incentive of a record £1 million prize.
A total prize pool of £5 million is also up for grabs, with the runner-up set to receive £400,000, while losing semi-finalists will receive £200,000 each.
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Quarter-finalists will pocket £100,000, fourth round losers will get £60,000, third round departees will be £35,000 richer, while second round and first round losers are entitled to £25,000 and £15,000 respectively.
Also, any player who hits a nine-darter will receive a £60,000 bonus.
But the sport of darts has not always been so awash with cash, with three-time PDC World Darts Championship contestant Matthew Edgar explaining exactly how salaries work with various deductions reducing his take-home pay. And it’s not just tax and national insurance that players have to pay out.
In his three PDC World Darts Championship appearances, Edgar got to the first round twice and the second round in 2021.
He earned £30,000 overall from his exploits - made up of two £7,500 payments and one of £15,000. But the amount he actually received was much less.
In a 2024 TikTok video, accompanied by a graphic of his PDC remittance notice, he explained how much of this reached his bank account.
"That [the printed amount] doesn't mean what you get paid as a player," Edgar explained.
"There are deductions which need to come off this. All PDC players are self-employed contractors, not employees of the PDC, and so we get remittance notices. We get deductions, two per cent is your PDC levy - that comes off everything before you even get it and comes from playing on the Challenge tour to being world champion.
"We all pay two per cent on our prize money before we even get it. Not only that, you've got to consider your membership fees - £500 is your membership fee, which goes before you even get it. That's a once-a-year fee and your DRA fee as well.
"£6,800 is what came into my bank account from the first round defeat. From that, I've got to deduct my travel, my hotel and any other costs with that. Then, the money that is left is open to tax."
Edgar then continued to explain how he received around £5,200 after making it to the first round of the tournament, rather than £7,500.
Topics: Darts, Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen
Luke Davies