Luke Littler has done it again, claiming his second PDC World Championship crown in spectacular fashion at Alexandra Palace tonight.
The 18-year-old sensation absolutely demolished Gian van Veen 7-1, wrapping up the match with a stunning 147 checkout that left the crowd in awe.
It’s a massive payday for The Nuke, who pockets the £1million winner’s prize – double what champions received last year when the jackpot stood at £500,000 since 2019.
Littler was visibly emotional after sealing victory, covering his face as the magnitude of becoming back-to-back world champion sank in.
Luke Littler has defended his World Championship title after a crushing 7-1 win over Gian van Veen
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REUTERS
Van Veen takes home £400,000 as runner-up.
But here’s the thing – Littler won’t be keeping all of that million quid.
According to analysts at OLBG, the taxman is set to take a hefty chunk of his winnings, roughly 46 per cent of the total prize.
The breakdown shows Littler facing £436,832 in income tax paid to HMRC, plus £22,011 in National Insurance contributions.
That’s a combined tax bill of approximately £458,843.
Luke Littler won a record-breaking £1million prize fund – but nearly half will go to the taxman
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PA
At this level of earnings, his personal allowance has completely tapered away, meaning every penny gets taxed.
So what does The Nuke actually take home? Around £541,157 – still over half a million pounds, but nearly half his prize gone to taxes.
Littler’s dominance over the past year has been nothing short of extraordinary.
This world title marks his seventh major trophy from the last nine PDC ranked TV events – a run of form that’s simply unprecedented.
Sky Sports Darts’ Wayne Mardle summed it up perfectly: “A lot is said about what this guy is capable of. He’s the holder of the World Championship, UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam and the Players Championship.”
The Nuke’s lead at the top of the world rankings keeps growing, and frankly, nobody seems capable of stopping him right now.
The King of the Palace! 👑
Luke Littler gets his hands on the Sid Waddell trophy for the second time 🏆 pic.twitter.com/XkLkLD1ZFi
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) January 3, 2026
The so-called “Luke Littler effect” has transformed darts, bringing fresh interest and money flooding into the sport – hence that doubled prize fund.
An OLBG spokesperson said: “The question is no longer whether Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler can keep winning the biggest prizes in darts but whether he will one day overtake Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor as arguably the greatest and most successful player the sport has ever seen.”
They added that while winning such life-changing sums has become routine for Littler, elite darts comes with substantial costs – reinvesting in development, support teams, and travel to stay at the top.
