Darts: From pub game to sports betting giant

The online casino industry has grown at a rapid pace over the past few years expanding into many new regions.

With its expansion, the industry has also found new avenues of betting to explore especially in terms of sports betting.

The world of sports betting is one that is grossly underestimated as there is often no knowledge of how widespread this field of gambling really goes.

Apart from allowing players to bet on their favourite sports such as Football, Basketball and Hockey betting options have also become available on other sports such as Darts.

A growing industry

Darts was once purely enjoyed as a form of entertainment mainly in local pubs and bars. Nowadays you will find that Darts has turned into a popular sport offering plenty of betting opportunities. Not only on regular matches but big prize pool tournaments too.

Darts was created as a traditional pub game late in the 1800s and, in time, has become a sport where the world’s best players get to compete for big cash prizes.

The competitions and tournaments run in different seasons annually ensuring sports bettors have a different betting option for every season.

Governed and Secure

As with all sports, Darts is regulated by the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) ensuring it is kept honest and secure. The DRA is the regulatory authority for darts worldwide as they write and oversee all regulations in relation to the sport, whether played by professionals or amateurs.

Recently, the DRA signed a data-sharing agreement with the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). With this new agreement, the DRA is tightening their grip on the sport, ensuring rules and regulations are adhered to, all with a little help from the MGA.

Nigel Mawer QPM, the DRA Chairman, made it clear that their main role is to keep darts safe from corruption and match fixing. The new partnership with the MGA will help them protect the sports as well as send the message that they have worldwide ability to detect and prosecute players who breach the betting rules and damage the sport.

About the Game

Darts is played on a board with different numbered and coloured spokes each containing different values. The dart board is hung 5 ft. 8 (1.73m) from the ground and players throw from a distance of 7 ft. 9.25 (2.37m).

Each player starts with a total of 501 points. The aim of the game is to detract the total points won from each turn to reduce your total points as quickly as possible.

During each game, players will take turns to throw three darts at the board. After every turn they will calculate the total score from the three throws. Each dart can award a score of up to 60 giving a maximum of 180 points that can be derived from the 3 throws.

A bullseye gets you 50 points, an outer bullseye awards 25 points and then there are numbers 1-20 scattered around it. As well as an inner circle offering treble points and an outer circle awarding doubles. The player who reaches the zero first wins the ‘leg’, in order to ‘checkout’ they must end the leg with a double or a bullseye.

Biggest Darts Tournaments

Darts might have been an underdog back in the day, but it is quickly becoming one of the top sports betting options. Especially with the hot Darts tournaments running annually.

Currently there are 5 big tournaments you should know about.

• World Championship – This tournament generally takes place around Christmas time and runs until early January. It is considered to be one of the biggest tournaments of the year for both dart players and dart bookmakers alike. It is the biggest darts betting tournament found online as it is always sponsored by an online sportsbook.
• World Matchplay – This tournament takes place at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool in late July. It is a £700,000 competition so it generally receives a lot of TV coverage much like the World Championship. It’s always favoured by in-play darts betting professionals.
• UK Open – The UK Open takes place at Minehead’s Butlins resort and runs for a period of three days. It features an FA Cup style draw after every round and boasts a 160 strong field. It’s exhilarating and attracts many sports bettors to participate.
• World Grand Prix – Forget about F1, the Dart World Grand Prix is one of a kind and known for upsets. The Grand Prix is staged in Dublin, Ireland and requires players to start on a ‘double’ which results in many players falling out in the early rounds.
• Premier League Darts – This prestige tournament features the best darts players in the world. It’s a select field competition run on a league basis over several months. There are live broadcasts every Thursday night from February until late May on SKY Sports. This unusual darts betting medium works for many bettors as it offers the option of drawn matches.

Darts betting at top bookmakers

When betting on darts, you can look forward to regular rewards or free bets if you’re betting on darts for the first time.

Bookmakers are generally very rewarding towards loyal darts betting and provide them with a host of rewards. These include a range of treats such as double winnings if the game is won with a 100+ finish, Money back if these is a 9 dart finish in the match, early payouts if the player goes three legs ahead and enhanced darts betting odds on accumulators.

Darts have become a popular sports betting option among many sports fans with plenty of exciting tournaments to bet on.

If you’re keen to try your hand at darts betting, be sure to visit a trusted sports betting site.