Paddy Power pledged to donate £1,000 for every score of 180 – the maximum possible with three darts scored during the tournament. The event concluded on 3 January after almost three weeks of play.
Players hit 180 a total of 907 times during the Championship, meaning £907,000 was raised through the operator’s ‘The Bigger 180’ campaign. However, Paddy Power also pledged to donate £60,000 each time a player completed a nine-dart finish – scoring 501 in just nine darts.
Christian Kist and Damon Heta both scored nine-dart finishes at the Championship. This meant an additional £120,000 went to charity, taking the total donation to Prostate Cancer UK to £1.0 million.
On top of this, players who managed a nine-dart finish each took home a bonus £60,000, while one person in the audience was selected a random to win £60,000.
This was the second year Paddy Power ran the fund-raising initiative. During the 2024 event, it raised £914,000 after 914 180s were thrown at the tournament. However, Paddy Power elected to round this up to £1.0 million.
Luke the Nuke clinches 2025 Championship
Luke Litter was crowned the 2025 World Darts Championship winner, seeing off three-time champion Michael van Gerwen 7-3.
In doing so, he became the youngest player ever to win the tournament the age of just 17. Coincidentally, van Gerwen previously held this title when he won his first Championship in 2014 aged 24.
Litter was also responsible for raising the most money for the Paddy Power campaign by scoring the most 180s. In total, he hit the three-dart maximum 76 times, ahead of van Gerwen on 56 and Allan Rydz with 43.
Paddy Power has sponsored the World Darts Championship for the past two editions. It is also due to serve as title sponsor for the 2026 tournament, which is due to commence in December.
Cyclist and Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy served as ambassador for The Bigger 180 initiative. In September 2023, Hoy was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer.
“The huge sum being donated will make a big difference to the lives of thousands of men,” Hoy said. “It’s a huge step forward and we’re now one big step closer to making a long-lasting and meaningful change to men’s health.”
Chiara De Biase, director of health services, equity and improvement at Prostate Cancer UK, also praised the campaign. He said: “Every 180 thrown, every cheer from fans and every pound raised has brought us closer to a future where all men can be screened for prostate cancer.
“As well as the sensational fundraising, we’re proud that more than 143,000 men have completed our online Risk Checker – making this a truly life-changing campaign.”
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/sustainable-gambling/csr/paddy-power-charity-world-darts-championship/
