Former World Championship participant opens up on stark reality of how much prize money is actually earned at Ally Pally

The eyes of darts fans are often on the huge prize money at stake at the PDC World Darts Championship, especially since the news that the prize fund will be doubled in 2026. Yet far from every participant sees much of that in their bank account. Former PDC pro Matthew Edgar recently gave a remarkable insight into that.

Known for his appearances at the 2019, 2020 and 2021 World Championships, shared on TikTok how little some players at the bottom of the ladder actually get from their participation. Whereas players like Luke Littler were allowed to collect half a million pounds for winning the tournament last year, and could even earn up to one million pounds in the future, the reality looks very different for some of the field of participants.

Edgar totaled £30,000 in prize money during his three World Cup appearances, split between two times £7,500 and one time £15,000. That doesn't sound bad on paper, but little of it remains after deducting mandatory contributions and taxes.

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For example, Edgar explains that each player must automatically donate two percent of their prize money to the PDC in order to be part of the tour at all. In addition, each tour ticket holder pays 500 pounds annually in dues. In practice, of the 7,500 pounds he earned one year, Edgar kept only 6,800 pounds after deducting the PDC dues. Then tax was subtracted, leaving only about £5,200 in his account in the end.

So the gap between the absolute top and the rest of the field of competitors remains wide, even on the biggest stage in the darts world. Edgar, who currently competes in tournaments outside the PDC structure, thus emphasizes how challenging it is to make financial ends meet as a professional dart player when you do not structurally manage to reach the final stages of major tournaments.

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