Luke Littler will be playing for a monster £1MILLION loot when he defends his world title at Alexandra Palace in December. Professional Darts Corporation president Barry Hearn and chief executive Matt Porter summoned players to a meeting to announce a £7m increase in prize money from 2026. And top of the bill was a 100 per cent hike in the £500,000 Littler banked as a 17-year-old at Ally Pally three months ago, when he became the youngest darts world champion in history. The increase was the worst-kept secret on the circuit, and it comes as no surprise after Sky Sports and the PDC announced a huge five-year, £125 million TV rights deal in February. But it means Littler , who has already reeled in £1.6m in prize money in just 15 months since joining the pro ranks, could become one of the highest-earning teenagers in world sport to reflect his rampage through the record books. To date, Luke the Nuke’s biggest paydays on the oche have included £500,000 for beating Michael van Gerwen 7-4 in the PDC World Championship final, £315,000 as 2024 Premier League champion - £275,000 as winner plus £40,000 in bonuses and £200,000 as runner-up to Luke Humphries at Ally Pally as a 16-year-old But with darts now smashing through the £1m barrier for winning a single tournament, Littler and his rivals are in the big money league. Since Paddy Power became title sponsors of the World Championship showpiece, there has been an unmistakable mushroom cloud in the tournament’s financial clout. For the last two years, the Irish bookmaker has donated more than £1m for all the maximum 180s hit at a competition which goes on longer than the Olympics. And when Hearn signposted the dawn of the £1m world title treasure chest back in January, he revealed the ‘Littler effect’ on darts had been phenomenal. He said: “We take it (the Ally Pally fancy dress pageant) for granted. It is amazing what has happened and we should rejoice. Christmas is a time for rejoicing – not just for Jesus but for the darts as well. “I thought I’d seen it all when Michael Smith hit that nine-darter in the final and in the commentary box Wayne Mardle is shrieking, ‘I can't spake! I can’t spake!’ And then Luke Littler comes along… “Luke Littler’s story gives me a reason to turn round to my wife and say, ‘You told me you didn’t like darts, but you don’t miss a dart when Luke is on the box.’ He has brought in a new generation of fans and we have to be ready to harness their custom. “There’s still a look-down-your-nose attitude towards darts in some quarters, but Littler has earned over £2million at 17, and he’s bought his mum and dad a nice house. That brings it home what darts can do to change your life. “It’s too early to say if he will become the greatest phenomenon of my 50 years as a sports promoter because so much depends on those around him and the player himself. But first glances are very optimistic. He seems a very nice young man. He has got frailties, everyone has. He has an incredible ability “I want to see where Luke Littler is in five years’ time. He could be the biggest influence in darts that we have ever seen beyond Phil Taylor , beyond Eric Bristow. “They were larger than life characters, but this guy has come into it from a slightly different angle because he’s retained his ordinariness, ‘I’ll just go and have a kebab’. Who says that? Did you practice much? ‘No, I was on my X-Box all night.’ I think Littler has got that little bit of magical ingredient in him.” Along with the increased prize money, the PDC World Championship will be expanded from 96 to 128 players, and the Grand Slam in Wolverhampton rises from 32 to a 48-player field.