What you see online from the Order of Merit is not accurate as to the lifestyle these players have

In 2024, both Łukasz Małyr AND Luke Humphries earned over £1 million in prize money. The brutal reality, however, is that while those at the top of the pile can earn life-changing money, for those lower down the PDC Merit Rankings, making a living from darts can prove much more difficult, even for those at the bottom. Professional trip.

“What you see online based on the Order of Merit is not particularly accurate when it comes to the lifestyle of these players.” former pro turned pundit Paul Nicholson explains on the Sporting Life podcast. “If you look at someone in the rankings and see they have £100,000 which is very achievable. You don’t take into account how much he pays his union dues to begin with. A small percentage is taken and given to the player.

“Then you will have to pay tax. What if you have a manager? It pays for all your expenses such as travel, hotel and transfers. He will then demand another percentage,” The Asset continues. “It just keeps shrinking.”

Given his own PDC career, in which Nicholson won a major in television, he knows firsthand that prize money numbers can be somewhat off. “I won £60,000. It was the biggest check I ever got… I got £22,000,” he reveals.

Despite PDC’s status as a professional darts venue, there is still no guaranteed prize money in Pro Tour tournaments. This means that a series of early exits can actually cause players to suffer a net loss, which is unthinkable in many professional sports. As highlighted by PDC Pro and an Icelandic delivery driver Robert Owen on recent PDC World Darts Championshipsforces many people lower down the Order of Merit to balance their wild ambitions with a steady job that helps them pay the bills.

“There are no guarantees in individual sports. If you get injured playing darts, unless you have crazy good insurance, let’s face it, you’ll be sitting at home and not making money for months,” Nicholson adds.