Darts-World Darts Championship winner's prize doubled to one million pounds

(Reuters) - Next year's PDC darts world champion will pocket a record one million pounds ($1.29 million) winner's cheque, double the amount banked by this year's champion Luke Littler, the Professional Darts Corporation said on Monday.

Luke 'The Nuke' was still 17 when he received a 500,000 pounds cheque in January after becoming the youngest champion, with the winner's share of the prize fund unchanged since 2020.

Littler's emergence, with the teenager having also reached the final last year, has captured the imagination of the British public and done much to increase the sport's popularity.

The overall prize fund for the World Championships has also been doubled, to five million pounds, with the competition expanding to a 128-player field, up from 96.

"The one million pound prize for the world champion reflects darts' standing as one of the most exciting and in-demand sports in the world," PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter said in a statement.

"However, the increased prize funds announced today demonstrate our commitment to growing earning potential for players at all levels within the PDC system."

The PDC has boosted prize funds on next year's professional circuit by seven million pounds, with the Premier League total pot up to 1.25 million pounds and a one million pound prize fund on offer at both the World Matchplay and Grand Slam.

Along with increases in prize money at competitions on the ProTour, the PDC also raised prize funds for Challenge Tour, Development Tour and Women's Series events.

($1 = 0.7757 pounds)

(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Ken Ferris)