Forget “Home Alone” and turkey dinners, the best thing about the festive season is the darts at the Ally Pally! Placing a bet or two makes it even more enjoyable and on this page, you’ll find the best Darts World Championship betting sites.
You’ll also find expert darts betting advice, info on the PDC World Championship format and how to get the best darts odds!
Top 11 PDC World Darts Championships Betting Sites
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Bet on World Darts Championships with Betfair
In the opinion of the Sportsbetting24 darts betting experts, Betfair hits the bullseye for Darts World Championship betting. They form their ante-post World Championship markets almost immediately after the tournament finishes, much sooner than most of their industry rivals. When it comes to getting the best PDC Darts World Championship odds, Betfair are always worth checking out too.
Anyone interested in getting some nice Darts World Championship betting promotions should pay Betfair a visit too. They have regular and very rewarding promotions and specials for the biggest event in darts. Live PDC Darts World Championship betting is another thing that Betfair has to offer and all things considered, it is easy to see why there is no better betting site for the PDC World Championship.
Recommended Darts World Championship Betting Markets
If you are planning on having a Darts World Championship punt you need to choose your market wisely. Some markets, like ‘Outright winner’ and ‘will there be a 170 finish’ are pretty risky and suit beginners or novices looking to have an interest in a match or the event.
Looking back at the history of the PDC World Championship it is clear to see that the best players usually dominate. So, keep that in mind when betting on the outright winner market.
Experienced darts bettors prefer to bet on less risky markets like handicap betting and total legs or sets markets as they give you a much greater chance of landing winning bets consistently, albeit at shorter odds. The table below gives you a rough idea of which markets are suited to beginners and which ones are best left to the pros.
| Betting Market | Risk | Recommended for |
| Outright Betting | 4 | Novice |
| 170 Finish | 5 | Beginner |
| Handicap Betting | 3 | Advanced |
| Total Legs/Sets | 3 | Expert |
| Match Betting | 2 | Novice/Beginner |
(*risk can be managed, not volatility)
How to Find the Best Darts World Championship Odds
If you want to get the most out of winning World Darts Championship wagers, you need to find the best Darts World Championship betting odds. Not completing this relatively simple task could leave you out of pocket and that is why finding the best price is imperative. If you don’t, you are letting the bookies off the hook and the PDC World Championship odds comparison table* below perfectly illustrates how costly not getting the best odds can potentially be.
| Player | Betfair | 888Sport | Unibet |
| Michael Van Gerwen | 11/4 (3.75) | 11/4 (3.75) | 11/4 (3.75) |
| Gerwyn Price | 11/2 (6.5) | 9/2 (5.5) | 9/2 (5.5) |
| Peter Wright | 6/1 (7.0) | 5/1 (6.0) | 5/1 (6.0) |
| Gary Anderson | 12/1 (13.0) | 11/1 (12.0) | 11/1 (12.0) |
| Glen Durrant | 12/1 (13.0) | 12/1 (13.0) | 12/1 (13.0) |
| Nathan Aspinall | 12/1 (13.0) | 16/1 (17.0) | 16/1 (17.0) |
| Michael Smith | 20/1 (21.0) | 22/1 (23.0) | 22/1 (23.0) |
| Rob Cross | 28/1 (29.0) | 33/1 (34.0) | 33/1 (34.0) |
| Devon Peterson | 40/1 (41.0) | 28/1 (29.0) | 28/1 (29.0) |
| Dave Chisnall | 40/1 (41.0) | 40/1 (41.0) | 40/1 (41.0) |
| *Odds For Display Purposes Only |
Let’s say that you had a sneaky feeling that ‘The Asp’ Nathan Aspinall was going to go all the way in this year’s tournament. Even though Betfair had the best odds about the top 5 in the World Darts Championship betting odds market, for Aspinall they were only offering 12/1 (13.0). However, both 888sport and Unibet were offering 16/1 (17.0) about the Englishman.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that if you had a £10 winning bet on Aspinall with Betfair you’d be getting a much lower return (£40 less) than you would if you placed the exact same bet with 888sport or Unibet. So, never just take the first price you see about any player. Compare and contrast the odds between as many bookies as you can and that way, you will get the most out of your winning bets.
Expert Darts World Championship Betting Advice
- Previous Ally Pally Experience It takes a player with nerves of steel to go all the way in the PDC Darts World Championship. Many players freeze under the pressure on the big stage and having previous experience of playing at the Alexandra Palace is a huge advantage. So, focus on players who have played in the Darts World Championship before if you are having an outright bet.
- Doubles For Dough Although having a high scoring average is a big help, if a player is struggling to hit their doubles it is a massive negative. Don’t be afraid to back a player with a lower average in a match if they have been more accurate with their finishing. For example, Michael Smith is a player who hits loads of 180s but when it comes to finishing games off, he often struggles to hit his doubles. Players like him are worth taking on with underdogs who have good finishing stats in the early rounds.
- Pick The Right Market Once you have picked one of our top Darts World Championship betting sites, your next task is selecting the market that gives you the best chance of winning. If you are 100% sure about who will win a match and they are a heavy favourite, you could have a bet on the handicap market to get a better price than in the match betting market. In matches that are too tough to call it can pay to focus on other markets like Total 180s or Highest Checkout.
- Early Round Upsets If you are looking for a winning bet at decent odds, backing underdogs in the early rounds can pay. As the tournament gets into the later stages and the matches become longer, it gets tougher for the lower-ranked players to win. However, in the first round in particular upsets are much more likely and backing underdogs can be a very profitable enterprise, once you pick the right ones!
- Utilise Available Resources Although form can sometimes go out the window in the high-pressure environment at the Alexandra Palace, you should still utilise the available resources to see how players have performed in recent tournaments. Head to head stats are another thing you should always research before you have a bet on a match and you should also look back at past winners of the World Darts Championship too.
Live PDC World Darts Championship Betting
If you want to add even more excitement to the viewing experience you should give live PDC Darts World Championship betting a try. Darts is a fast, furious and high-scoring game and you can tell an awful lot about how a player is feeling by looking at their body language.
Once you get to know the tell-tale signs of how a player is coping (or not coping) mentally, you could make hay by betting on them or backing against them. You can bet live on the PDC World Darts Championship with the vast majority of betting sites listed above.
| 💡 TIP! If you’re still new to live betting, our experts’ in-play betting advice and tips is essential reading! Benefit from years of experience with betting sites and live betting! |
Live Streaming
For the last renewal of this massive tournament, a few World Darts Championship betting sites had live streaming available. Betfair, William Hill and bet365 were among those that offered live streaming to their members, but it isn’t guaranteed that they will have the rights to stream the next PDC World Championship. Keep an eye out for news updates closer to the event to see who has live streaming available for this year’s event.
In the UK, Sky Sports have the exclusive television broadcast rights for the World Darts Championship. If you are planning on betting in-play, you really need to be able to access live pictures. As we mentioned in the previous section, you have to be able to see the body language of players if you want to make live Darts World Championship betting a profitable pastime.
Event Format
A total of 96 players compete in the PDC Darts World Championship. It starts in mid-December and ends with the final on New Year’s Day. The top 32 on the Order Of Merit are seeded and start the tournament in Round 2. The top 32 from the Pro Tour Order of Merit and another 32 International Qualifiers play against each other in Round 1. The match format is single in, double out and as the tournament goes on, match lengths increase.
The 1st and 2nd rounds are best of 5 sets, rounds 3 & 4 are best of 7, the Quarterfinals are best of 9, the semis best of 11 and the final is best of 13 sets. The winner collected a very cool cheque of £500k last time and the total prize money is £2.5 million. If a player manages to hit two 9-dart finishes during the event, they will pocket a £100k bonus. For the latest news on the draw and entries keep an eye on the PDC official site.
Past Winners
| Year | Winner (score) | Runner-Up (score) |
| 2020 | Peter Wright (7) | Michael Van Gerwen (3) |
| 2019 | Michael Van Gerwen (7) | Michael Smith (3) |
| 2018 | Rob Cross (7) | Phil Taylor (2) |
| 2017 | Michael Van Gerwen (7) | Gary Anderson (3) |
| 2016 | Gary Anderson (7) | Adrian Lewis (5) |
| 2015 | Gary Anderson (7) | Phil Taylor (6) |
| 2014 | Michael Van Gerwen (7) | Peter Wright (4) |
| 2013 | Phil Taylor (7) | Michael Van Gerwen (4) |
| 2012 | Adrian Lewis (7) | Andy Hamilton (3) |
| 2011 | Adrian Lewis (7) | Gary Anderson (5) |
- No player will ever come close to matching Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor’s amazing record of 14 wins and total of 19 final appearances over a 25 year spell.
- Dutch Dartist Raymond van Barneveld achieved the first two 9-dart finishes in World Championship History, in 2009 v Jelle Klaasen and in 2010 v Brendan Dolan.
- The highest ever match average was 114.05 by Michael Van Gerwen in his semi-final vs Raymond Van Barneveld.
- Van Gerwen also holds the record for the best average across an entire tournament with 106.32 in 2017. Unsurprisingly, he was the Champion that year.
| 💡 Darts World Championship Fun Fact: Widely considered the greatest darts player of all time, Phil Taylor incredibly went unbeaten in the tournament for 8 years between 1995 and 2003, a total of 44 matches. |
The History of the PDC World Championship
The 1992 split in darts was the catalyst for the players that left the now-defunct British Darts Organisation (BDO) to set up their own darts board, the World Darts Corporation (WDC). In 1994 the WDC became the PDC and the first PDC Darts World Championship was held at the Circus Tavern. That was the venue until a huge growth in interest prompted a move to the much bigger Alexandra Palace in 2008. Not only is the game attracting more fans and viewers, but over 14,000 people are also now playing the game in the UK (source Statista report).
Sky Sports added new glitz and glamour to darts, and this was one of the main reasons for the explosion in popularity. In the first-ever PDC World Championship, the prize fund was just £64k with £16k going to the winner Dennis Priestly. Peter Wright took home £500k when he won in 2020. Only 24 players competed in the first PDC World Championship, 14 of the original BDO defectors and 10 invited players. The first woman to ever win a match at the World Darts Championship was Fallon Sherrock. She won two matches in the 2019/20 event, beating Ted Evetts and Mensur Suljovic.
Darts World Championship Betting FAQs
What’s the best Darts World Championship betting site? 
We recommend trying all of the bookies that make our top list but if we had to choose just one, it would have to be Betfair. They have Live World Darts Championship betting, live streaming, lots of markets and competitive odds. In other words, they have every angle covered.
Where can I find the best Darts World Championship odds?
You won’t find the best Darts World Championship betting odds at the same site for every bet you place. Generally speaking, 888bet and Unibet are usually extremely competitive price wise, as are Betfair. However, comparing and contrasting prices from as many bookies as possible is the only way to find the best Darts World Championship odds.
Which World Darts Championship betting sites have live streaming?
For the last renewal of this massive event the World Darts Championship betting sites that had live streaming included bet365, Betfair and the tournament sponsors William Hill. It hasn’t been yet confirmed whether they have secured live World Darts Championship streaming rights this year, so check closer to the event for updates.
What are the most common PDC World Championship bets?
There are quite a number of PDC World Championship bets and markets that punters can make money from. Match betting, handicap betting, total 180s and most 180s are amongst the most popular Darts World Championship wagers. However, don’t just limit yourself to those markets and keep your options open.
What’s a good Darts World Championship betting strategy?
If you want to land winning bets consistently when betting on this competition the first thing you should do is check out our expert Darts World Championship betting advice. This will help you find more winners and is a much better approach than blindly following online darts tipsters.