From pubs to big stages, the sport of darts has come a long way and found its place in many betting sites. Get into the spirit of darts betting and explore our list of online sportsbooks that offer betting on this popular sport.
Why Bet on Darts?
Very few sports have seen such an upshot in popularity as darts. A pub game turned professional sport, darts is an event unlike any other. Players may look like regular blokes but are introduced like the superstars they are, all the while the crowd goes wild in a pub-like atmosphere.
It’s also a very easy sport to follow. A typical game of darts is played to 501 points. You clearly see how much each of the segments of the board is worth, with the addition that the outer ring is worth double and the inner ring is worth triple points. Bullseye is worth 25 and double bullseye nets you 50 points.
A player gets three throws per turn, meaning their maximum score per turn is 180. Scoring 180 is such a feat that you’ll see crowds go wild as the announcers shout “One hundred and eighty!” whenever a player manages to score it. This sport is ripe for live betting, as every leg of the match has a lot of these moments, so you’ve got plenty to bet on.
In short, darts is just good old fun. It’s exciting, it’s fast-paced, and everyone can quickly learn how to bet on darts.
What Makes a Proper Darts Betting Site?
Everyone’s darts betting journey starts, obviously, from picking the right sportsbook to bet at. Here are the key factors we look at when reviewing and ranking the sportsbooks that feature betting on this sport.
Promotions and Free Bets
The betting landscape has become incredibly competitive. With thousands of online sportsbooks so easily accessible, we’re looking for those who try to give something extra back to the community. A good first impression is what matters, so a welcome bonus should cover sports betting and shouldn’t be too difficult to collect.
We especially value bookmakers that create promotions for darts betting, enticing their customers to bet on darts tournaments by offering better value for fans of the sport.
Betting Markets and Types
We often say that a sportsbook is as good as its variety of betting markets. After all, if there are not enough betting options, customers will get bored and look elsewhere. This is very important for darts bettors as the sport has so many unique and interesting events to bet on. So, in short, the more the better.
Security and Payments
Obviously, the bookmakers need to hold a valid betting license and provide a secure, safe way for their customers to bet. Darts betting sites should also take care of accommodating customers from various regions by supporting different payment methods, with fast transaction processing and transaction limits that meet the industry norms.
Popular Darts Betting Markets
When you start betting on darts, you’ll most likely gravitate towards the most obvious bets - outright winners of the tournaments, match winners (moneyline), maybe correct score or total legs won per player.
But, the sport of darts is more nuanced than that and so are the betting markets at online sportsbooks. There are several unique markets and events that you can only find in darts betting.
180s
Contrary to popular belief, the bullseye isn’t the highest-scoring target on a darts board, nor what darts players typically go for in tournaments. The ideal score a player can aim for on their turn is 180 - that’s hitting the triple 20 with all three darts. Whenever a player gets this score it sets the crowd on fire.
Most online darts betting sites offer a variety of markets involving the 180s, including the total number in a game or a tournament, the first player to hit a 180, as well as a match and the player with the most 180s.
Nine-dart Finish
The most difficult feat in darts is to perform a nine-dart finish. Since professional darts are typically 501 games, nine darts is the least amount of throws needed to reach this score.
When choosing this market, you’ll have options to bet on a player to perform the nine-dart finish or whether one of the legs will contain this feat. You’ll get some very high odds on this as it’s not a frequent event.
170 Checkout
The checkout is another darts-specific thing. It is the total number of points a player makes in their winning throw within a single leg of the game. Per tournament rules, the winning throw in a leg needs to be a double or a bullseye, so the highest score is 170 - two triple 20s and a double bullseye.
Additionally, you can find prop bets like the highest checkout score, which are safer than betting on whether a player manages to checkout with 170.
Major Darts Betting Events
Darts has one of the busiest schedules of any sport, with tournaments being held year-round. It is the ideal choice for bettors who’d like to bet on sports any time of the year, with plenty of big and small events and clear, precise rules when it comes to player rankings.
In this section, we’ll list the most notable events you should expect to find at the best darts betting sites.
PDC World Darts Championships
The PDC World Championship typically starts in mid-December and ends in early January. It is the highest-level tournament in darts and the most important event of the year for the fans of the sport.
Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) holds the tournament traditionally at the Alexandra Palace in London, or “Ally Pally” as darts fans like to call it. PDC darts betting offers immense excitement and tons of betting markets.
UK Open Darts
Another major PDC-backed tournament, the UK Open Darts takes place in early March. It has been the staple of the darts calendar since 2003 and features 128 top darts players. With a prize pool going over half a million pounds, it’s a fierce competition prime for the live darts betting opportunities.
World Grand Prix
Held since 1998, the World Grand Prix darts tournament is another important event in the world of darts. It usually runs throughout the second week of October. But, that’s not why it’s so special. It’s the only televised darts tournament with a unique rule - each leg has to commence and end on a double.
Compared to the darts World Championship betting, this event makes betting on the perfect nine-darter even more lucrative as players are more restricted on the combinations they need to hit.
Grand Slam of Darts
Before the year ends, darts fans have one more chance to bet on a major event. The Grand Slam of Darts is held in November, lasts for a whole week, and has been a ranking event since 2015.
When it comes to online betting, darts fans should absolutely not miss this even as it’s invitational and only the players that have reached the finals or semi-finals in major tournaments participate. Pure prestige in the sport that originated in pubs.
Other Darts Events
As we’ve mentioned before, the darts calendar is stacked. Darts Premier League, European Darts Championship, and the World Series of Darts are some of the events you’ll find at the sportsbooks that offer darts betting. There have been movements to run darts leagues with matches every single weekend, so bettors can always have a darts game to bet on.
Popularity of Betting on Darts
Darts has always been the sport for everyone. It’s easy to understand and appreciate the high skill of the professional players, as each match is nail-bitingly tense since a small mistake may lead to a loss. And with the increased media coverage in recent years, the sport has reached a much wider audience than ever before.
The same goes for darts betting, online and offline, too. Bettors do not have much to learn about the game to understand how to bet on the darts matches properly. After all, most markets for darts are simple types of bets, even if you go a step further and into the realm of live betting.
Bookmakers have noticed how popular the sport has become and are also trying to boost its popularity in their sportsbooks. It’s not unusual to find darts offers and promotions on most sportsbooks, further cementing the sport as a fan-favourite.
