If you enjoy playing darts, you likely know that turning it into a profession is not easy. How much does a dart player earn? Do they earn a lot?
Playing darts can be a well-paying profession. The average annual earning of a dart player is $67,000. The total amount can change depending on the performance and experience of the player. Nevertheless, it can be considered a lucrative job.
The information provides insight if dart players earn a lot. Continue reading to know and understand better if dart players earn a lot.
How Pro Dart Players Earn
The PDC World Darts Championship
Whenever you play darts professionally, you have to advance through several rounds. This event is organized by the PDC or Professional Darts Corporation annually. The championship starts in December and ends in January. It has been held since 2008 at Alexandra Place in London.
Here are some of the possible payouts for the PDC World Darts Championship.
There are many rounds that you have to go through before you can professionally play darts. If you succeed in the preliminary stage, you can get about $6,400. You can get around $15,500 if you are among the best 64 players. If you are part of the 32 best players, you can get about $26,000. You can receive around $38,000 in the following round.
You can receive about $56,500 as a finalist for every quarter. When you become a semi-finalist, you can get about $120,000. The best reward is when you become the champion because you can get an award of about $550,000.
Endorsements and Sponsorships for Dart Players
Aside from the PDC having their sponsorship deals from dart companies and online betting, dart players also get personally sponsored.
Target, Unicorn, and Winmau are the most popular dart equipment manufacturers that give an endorsement contract to professional dart players. Many pro dart players have their signature darts from these brands that their fans can buy too.
Popular pro dart players such as Michael van Gerwin and Phil Taylor have many of their signature darts. Moreover, they have other endorsement deals from different industries, such as travel, moving, and tire businesses. The brand names from these companies are usually included in the jerseys of the players.
Who the Most Well-Paid Dart Players Are
To better understand how much pro dart players are paid, here are some of the most well-paid dart players:
Michael Van Gerwen
Darts enthusiasts probably know Michael because he is the number one dart player across the globe at the time of writing. In 2014, 2017, and 2019, this Dutch dart player was regarded as the PDC World Darts Champion.
He has earned about $7M dollars because of the many awards he has received. He is still young, so it is unlikely that he will be retiring soon.
Phil Douglas Taylor
You have probably heard of this pro dart player if you are an avid fan of darts. Also known as The Power, he has held the top spot as the wealthiest pro dart player for over 10 years.
He has bagged the World Grand Championships 11 times and has earned around $9M throughout his career. He does not play darts anymore, but he is likely enjoying his retirement very much.
Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld is another Dutch player. He’s known as The Man. He received about $4M dollars from playing darts in his entire career. He is now retired.
Gary Anderson
Gary Anderson has won the PDC World Darts Championship event twice. He gets the 3rd spot for being the highest-paid pro dart player. He has acquired a little more than $4M dollars until recently.
Adrian Lewis
Since the beginning of his career in playing darts, Adrian Lewis has accumulated about $3.5 million dollars. Moreover, he has won the PDC World Darts Champion twice, similar to Gary Anderson.
How to Be A Pro Darts Player
Now, you have a better understanding of the amount of money pro dart players earn. You are likely thinking about how you could be a professional darts player.
Since the highest-paid professional dart players started honing their skills at this sport at a young age, the chances of succeeding immediately from being a professional darts player can be slim. Nevertheless, it’s never too late and one can always try.
What do you need to do to start playing darts professionally? You are likely playing the sport regularly. Apart from that, you should be passionate about it. Therefore, you might play it in different bars and pubs to relieve stress. If this is the case, you are at a good beginning since this is how famous pro dart players honed their skills.
You can begin playing for country competitions or take part in a circuit to qualify for competition after training hard in dart events at pubs. You obtain points when you compete at different tournaments. Since you get ranked based on your points, you can become qualified for live tournaments and start winning large amounts of money.
Nevertheless, you have to remember that being a successful pro dart player does not come easy. Aside from practicing hard, you need to be very dedicated to being known in the sport. It is recommended that you work hard in playing darts and keep your day job because you might have to spend more, so having a job can cover these expenses.
Similar to other sports, you can make your dreams of becoming a professional dart player come true if you have enough determination to work towards your success.
Conclusion
Finally, no single answer is available on how much pro dart players earn. However, you understand the average earning being a pro player can make. You have to keep in mind that performance and experience are the 2 main indicators of how much you can make from playing the sport.
Aside from money, you need to be dedicated and passionate. It can be difficult at first. Nevertheless, just like other endeavors, hard work always pays off.
