Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler is set to lose nearly half of his £275,000 Premier League Darts prize money to tax. The 17-year-old defeated Luke Humphries 11-7 in the final at the O2 in London, also hitting a nine-darter, becoming only the second player to do so in a final after Phil Taylor.
According to AltIndex estimates, Littler will pay £127,953 in income tax and £8,310.60 in National Insurance contributions, totalling £136,263.60. His take-home pay from the 17-week competition is expected to be £178,736.40, supplementing the £40,000 he earned from nightly victories in Belfast, Manchester, Liverpool and Aberdeen.
This follows his runner-up finish at the World Championship in January, where he earned £200,000. From that, he paid an estimated £73,203 in tax and £7,330 in National Insurance, netting £119,467. Combined, Littler will have paid around £217,000 in tax from these two tournaments alone.
Despite the tax burden, Littler expressed immense gratitude to his parents for their support. 'Whenever I win something and go over to them, all the emotions come out because my mum and dad, they put their own money into me, got me the sponsors I have today, and I can't thank you enough,' he told Sky Sports after the final.
