Paul Nicholson gives insight into life as a lower ranked PDC pro: "What you see online from the Order of Merit is not accurate as to the lifestyle these players have"

In 2024, both Luke Littler and Luke Humphries earned over £1 million in prize money. The harsh reality is though, that whilst those at the top of the pile can earn life changing money, for those lower down the PDC Order of Merit, earning a living from darts can prove much harder, even for those on the Pro Tour.

"What you see online from the Order of Merit is not particularly accurate as to what kind of lifestyle these players have," ex-pro turned pundit Paul Nicholson explains on the Sporting Life podcast. "If you look at someone in the rankings and it says they have £100,000, which is very achievable. You don't take into consideration what their paying into a union levy to start with. A small percentage gets taken and goes to the player's union."

"Then you have to pay your tax bill. What if you've got a manager? They pay for all your expenses like travel, hotel, transfers. They will then command another percentage," continues The Asset. "It just keeps shrinking."

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Given his own career on the PDC circuit saw Nicholson win a TV major, he himself knows first hand how the prize money figures can give a bit of a false representation. "I won £60,000. It was the biggest cheque I ever got... I walked away with £22,000," he reveals.

Despite the PDC's status as the professional darts circuit, there is still no guaranteed prize money for Pro Tour events. This means a string of early exits could actually see players running at a net loss, something unthinkable in many professional sports. This, as highlighted by PDC Pro and Iceland delivery driver Robert Owen at the recent PDC World Darts Championship, forces many of those lower down the rungs of the Order of Merit to balance their darting ambitions with a steady job to help pay the bills.

"In an individual sport, there are no guarantees. If you get injured as a dart player, unless you have a crazy good insurance policy, then let's face it, you're going to be sat at home earning nothing for months," Nicholson adds.

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