Paddy Power raises World Darts Championship charity donation to £1m

Paddy Power had agreed to donate £1,000 for every 180 scored during the 2023 World Darts Championship. The tournament, which Paddy Power also sponsored, concluded last night (3 January).

The maximum 180 score came up 914 times throughout the competition, a record for the annual tournament. This would have meant a £914,000 donation for Paddy Power.

However, the operator has confirmed it will round its total donation up to £1.0m, pledging £86,000 more than planned.

The World Darts Championship ran from 15 December to 3 January at Alexandra Palace in London. In the final Luke Humphries saw off the unseeded 16-year-old Luke Littler 7-4 to clinch his first world championship title.

“It’s been an epic World Darts Championship with a brand new champion crowned and a star of the future emerging,” Paddy Power said. “And to get into the spirit of all things bright and wonderful, Paddy’s decided to up our Prostate Cancer UK donation to a round £1m.

“Paddy Power pledged to give £1k to PCUK for every 180 hit at the World Championship, and after Luke Humphries hit the winning darts last night that figure stood at £914,000.

It’s good and sets a new record after beating last year’s previous best of 901, but it just didn’t feel quite right. So that’s exactly what we’ve done and that cash donation will soon be whizzing its way over to Prostate Cancer UK.”

BetMGM to sponsor Premier League Darts

News of the increased Paddy Power pledge comes as BetMGM was confirmed as the new sponsor of Premier League Darts.

Under the deal with the Professional Darts Corporation, BetMGM will replace Cazoo as the event’s title sponsor.

Premier League Darts offer £1.0m in prize money. Eight players will face off across 17 nights in venues across the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland.