Darts betting guide and best darts betting sites 2023

In the past decade, darts betting has exploded in popularity at the same time as darts has become one of the most watched sports in the UK, both on TV and in terms of live attendance.

As a result, the number of darts betting sites on offer has increased hugely. There are plenty of opportunities available to punters, with tournaments and matches priced up throughout the year. The numbers element means facts and stats are rife so there are an abundance of markets for those wanting to have a flutter.

Here we will explain all the ins and outs of the sport that has been rooted in British culture for decades. Several bookmakers are offering specials on darts betting and we will pick out their best offers. Market terminology on the darts betting sites will also be explained and there will be a brief overview of all the televised major tournaments from the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).

Best darts betting sites in the UK

Ladbrokes darts

All the main markets are included such as outright betting and match betting, while there is also the #GetAPrice feature where various scenarios can be bet on. Price boosts are also available on each individual match.

New customers can claim £20 in free bets with Ladbrokes when they deposit and place a £5 bet. Click here to sign up.

Coral darts

With Coral, there is the ability to bet on each leg of each set, while there are also several price boosts throughout. Punters can also watch a live board showing exactly where the darts are landing and look at various stats for the game.

Place a bet of £5 and get £20 in free bets when you sign up for an account with Coral. Don’t skip on this offer by signing up here. 

William Hill darts

William Hill offer many markets for each session of action under the #YourOdds markets for those who are planning to spend time watching darts on TV with 180s, checkouts and bullseyes included.

William Hill are offering new customers a £30 welcome bonus when you sign up for an account and bet £10. Take advantage of this offer here.

bet365 darts

bet365 offer a wide array of markets for all sorts of eventualities and the bet boost offers give good odds, for example player X to win and score the most 180s. There is even the option to bet on the colour of the double hit that wins the match – red or green.

If you haven't already signed up for a bet365 account, you can get all the above offers plus a welcome bonus of £50 when you use the bonus code SSG50.

Sky Bet darts

Sky Bet have all the usual market plus the boost options, including a double-up boost. There is also an extensive range of #RequestABet options suggested by punters. They range from the likely to the almost ridiculous.

New customers with Sky Bet can get £30 in free bets when they deposit and place their first bet of 5p or more. Claim this offer here to get started.

Betfair darts

In a similar vein to the other bookies mentioned, Betfair has a long list of specials under the #OddsOnThat umbrella. With all the standard markets also available, this is one of the best betting sites around.

Betfair new customers can claim £30 in free sports bets when they register and place their first bet of £10 or more. Take advantage of this offer by claiming here and get your next dart bet on with free bets.

Paddy Power darts

Paddy Power has a list of specials sorted into prices under the #WhatOddsPaddybanner. All matches have their own “power prices” which boost the standard odds.

Get a helping hand with your darts betting with £50 in free bets when you sign up to Paddy Power today. Claim offer here.

How to place a bet on darts with your bookmaker

It's quick and easy to place a bet on darts with your chosen bookmaker. Follow these simple steps to get invested in the next darts event:

1.  Select the darts betting market you want to bet on and click the odds to add the selection to your betslip

1.  Enter your stake, and if necessary, select whether it is an each-way bet

1.  If making multiple bets, select whether they are singles or whether you want to group them together as an accumulator

1.  Click 'Place Bet' and you're on!

Don't forget you can check out the status of your bet from your account section, and if your bookmaker offers cash-out there may be an active value offered to you for careful consideration.

Best darts betting offers for new customers

Find the latest darts betting offers for each of the best darts betting sites and select the offer that’s right for you – or simply sign up for all of them and take advantage of multiple free bets. Here are the best sign up offers from each darts betting site:

bet365 darts betting offer

Place a £10 bet and get £50 in free bets for new customers at bet365

Minimum deposit requirement. Free bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Minimum odds, bet, and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.

William Hill darts betting offer

Bet £10 get £30 in free bets

Play safe. From 00:01 on 13.04.2022. £30 bonus. New customers only. Minimum £10 stake on odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater on the sportsbook. Further terms apply. 18+.

Sky Bet darts betting offer

Get £30 in free bets when you place a 5p+ bet

New customers only. First single and each-way bet only. 5p minimum stake. 3 x £10 bet token. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets exclude virtuals. Free bets are non-withdrawable. No free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions. Further T&Cs apply.

Paddy Power darts betting offer

Get up to £50 in free sports bets

Place a single £10 Sportsbook bet and get money back as a free bet if it loses. There are x 5 free bets available. Maximum refund per qualifying bet is £10. Only deposits made via cards will be eligible for the promotion (Apple Pay excluded). T&Cs apply.

Betfair darts betting offer

Place a £10 bet and get £30 in free bets

Place a minimum £/€10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of minimum 1/2 (1.5) and get £/€30 in free bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards or Apple Pay will qualify. T&Cs apply.

Coral darts betting offer

Get a £20 free bet when you place a £5 bet

18+. New UK & ROI customers only. Minimum deposit £/€5. Minimum first £/€5 bet at minimum odds 1/2 to qualify for 1 x £/€20 free bet. Certain deposit methods and bet types are excluded. Free bet valid for seven days. Stake not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply.

Ladbrokes darts betting offer

Bet £5 and get £20 in free bets

18+. New UK+IRE customers only. Certain deposit methods and bet types are excluded. Minimum first £/€5 bet within 14 days of an account registration at minimum odds 1/2 to get 4 x £/€5 free bets. Free bets are available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets are valid for seven days, and the stake is not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply.

Darts betting markets: how to bet on darts

There are so many avenues to explore when it comes to darts betting. Punters can place bets on who they think will win a tournament outright as well as individual matches, while accumulators can also be built. There are also markets for statistical aspects of the sport while in-play betting is also a possibility.

Darts outright betting

Very simply, this is to bet on who will win a tournament or single match outright. Odds can fluctuate depending on form, past winning experience and the number of players taking part.

Total match 180s

A 180 is the highest possible score a player can get with three darts – all of them hitting the treble 20 segment. 180s usually draw huge cheers from the fans in attendance and a glut of them can raise the atmosphere significantly. In terms of betting, it is usually categorised as an over/under bet.

Player with the most 180s

This is on which of the two players will hit the most 180s. Higher-ranked players are likely to be bigger scorers but that is not true of everyone. Certain players can be red hot in terms of scoring but weaker on doubles, where games are ultimately won. Different players have different tendencies and it is worth studying this before placing bets.

Correct score predictions

A more advanced version of outright darts betting, this is a bet on the exact score a match will end in. This is a market utilised more with set play or shorter-format leg matches, as there are fewer possible outcomes.

Highest checkout

A checkout is the shot that wins a player a leg. Players must checkout on a double or the bullseye. The highest possible checkout is 170, known as "the big fish", which comprises two treble 20s and the bullseye. Most checkouts tend to be achieved in one dart or fewer (below 40) and hitting an out shot of over 100 is always a crowd-pleaser. The market is simply for the player who checks out the highest score.

Handicap betting

Handicap betting is essentially where a theoretical disadvantage is handed to one of the players, usually the one who is expected to win. For example, if Michael van Gerwen was -1.5 legs, that means two legs would be removed from his final score. For the bet to be successful, he would have to win by two legs. Handicap betting is more common with leg format games rather than set play and it would probably be better to utilise this in longer games as there is a bigger range of choices.

Nine-dart finish

A nine-dart finish is the holy grail of the sport. Starting on 501, nine darts is the fewest number of arrows needed to get down to zero, and is bracketed alongside the likes of a 147 in snooker, a hole-in-one in golf and a perfect 300 in ten-pin bowling in terms of difficulty.

It has been achieved relatively few times in TV tournaments with 71 in total since John Lowe hit the first in 1984. Phil Taylor holds the record for the most with 11 while Michael van Gerwen is next with eight. Generally, only the truly elite players throw nine-darters, although some lower-ranked players have hit them before. This bet is usually a yes or no market, with odds on yes being long.

Checkout betting

Checkout betting covers a range of possibilities, including match-winning checkout, number of 100+ checkouts, and number of times a bullseye checkout is made.

How to bet on darts in-play

Betting on darts in-play adds a whole new dimension to your experience. Timing is crucial here, and something you will want to bear in mind when looking at the following markets.

Match betting

Match betting odds obviously change during the match depending on the standard of play and scoreline. If the scoreline is 5-0 or 5-1 in a first to six contest then there is little value in placing bets. However, in a longer format match, if the score is 8-6 in a first to 11 and the player on six has won three in a row then momentum could shift and the odds may be tempting.

Next leg winner

As it says on the tin, this is the market for who wins the next leg. A big factor is usually who has the first throw because they are likely to have the first opportunity to checkout.

Total legs

This is for the number of legs that will have taken place in a completed match. If a player is dominating from the off, then there could be value in placing a bet for the match to be short.

Darts betting offers for existing customers

Those who are existing customers with certain bookmakers may be afforded special darts betting opportunities during tournaments.

Accumulator insurance

If one leg of your accumulator loses then you could be entitled to a free bet. Terms and conditions apply to individual bookmakers.

Money back specials

Players may get their money back as a free bet if certain named players win. This is usually applied to tournament outright bets rather than individual matches.

Request a bet

Usually through social media and usually with Sky Bet, punters can request for bookmakers to price up odds for creative bets and the bookmaker will then provide a link to bet through.

Major darts tournaments to bet on

During the year, there are several televised tournaments on which punters can look to place darts bets, and this is where players earn the bulk of their ranking points. The PDC calendar ultimately gears towards the World Championship, which traditionally takes place over the Christmas and New Year period.

PDC Masters betting

A non-ranking tournament to kick off the year, this is regarded as a curtain-raiser for the season ahead, with the top 24 ranked players in the world taking part in the leg format tournament in Milton Keynes. While this has always been one of the smaller majors, it has taken on significance in the last two years, with the winners (Jonny Clayton and Joe Cullen) earning a spot in the Premier League. It is played in a bog-standard leg format with the number of legs lengthening as the tournament progresses.

Premier League betting

The creme de la creme of the sport are selected to play in what has become a roadshow tour around Britain, Ireland and continental Europe. Every Thursday from February to May, the same eight players compete in a nightly knockout tournament where the winner takes home a bonus of £10,000. Points (and cash) are awarded based on weekly performance with a league table determining who advances to the play-off night. Four from eight qualify for this final stage where two semi-finals produce a final, and the winner scoops a cool £250,000.

With this being a tournament for the best players on the planet, bets on high averages, 180s and even nine-darters are common. Because the games are a first-to-six format, averages tend to be higher than usual.

UK Open betting

Styled as the 'FA Cup of Darts', this three-day tournament is one of two in the calendar that takes place at Butlins, Minehead, and usually occurs in early March.

The format is similar to the FA Cup in football – it is a completely random draw as opposed to players being seeded, and players enter incrementally. The top 32 ranked players in the world enter in round four, players ranked 33-64 enter in round three, and so on. All 128 PDC tour cardholders are granted entry along with top-ranked players from the affiliate Challenge and Development Tours. Additionally, in partnership with Riley's – the chain of sports bars – 16 places are awarded to amateur qualifiers, meaning the field has a total of 160 players.

In terms of darts betting, this one is usually hard to call because of the random nature of the draw. It can offer a route for lower-ranked players to make a good run in a major tournament and punters may be best advised waiting until later in the competition to place bets on outright winners.

World Cup of Darts betting

This one sees players competing for their countries in pairs as opposed to the usual one-versus-one scenario. The top two-ranked players from each of the participating countries (or the two selected best for those who don't play on the PDC tour) compete to lift the World Cup. There is a mixture of pairs and singles play, with the winning team, the first to win three matches in the final.

Tactics can play a part with the team captain (the higher ranked player) determining who plays when in the singles format. Again, as games are short format, there is the propensity for high averages.

World Matchplay betting

Second in line to the World Championship in terms of status, the Matchplay takes place at the height of summer in the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool and is one of the toughest competitions to win. Some 32 players compete for the Phil Taylor Trophy – named after the legendary figurehead of the sport who won 16 Matchplay titles – and it is played in a leg format over a week in July. The top 16 ranked players are drawn against the top 16 from the Pro Tour order of merit and from there it is a fixed bracket draw – the number one seed would play the number 16 in the second round if they both advanced.

Because the format of these matches is longer than usual, handicap betting could be a useful market for punters, particularly when one of the top players is pitted against a player with less experience of the big stage. Total 180s could also be one to look at too.

World Grand Prix betting

This tournament is unique as it is the only one in the calendar where players have to start on a double as well as finish on one. It is therefore arguably one of the very toughest tournaments to win as it involves plenty of double shooting and players are immediately under pressure to start legs positively. It is also played in a set format (three legs equates to one set) so it has a different feel to it than most other tournaments. The Grand Prix also marks the start of a busy autumn, being the first of four majors prior to the Worlds.

While in most tournaments punters would be tempted by the scoring markets (180s etc), the sensible route to go down here would be to back players who are usually clinical on doubles.

European Championship betting

The top 32-performing players from the 13 European Tour events during the year play in this three-day tournament, usually taking place in Germany. The draw is a fixed bracket with the number one seed playing 32, two playing 31 etc. The first round is best of 11 legs while the games that follow are of a longer format, gradually increasing to best of 21 in the final.

Grand Slam of Darts betting

This tournament is similar to the World Cup and Champions League as 32 players are split into eight groups of four, where a round-robin phase determines which two from each group head into the last 16 knockout stage. It is unique in terms of its qualification process – rather than being based on rankings, it is based on winners and runners-up of all other tournaments during the year, along with eight players from affiliate tours and eight qualifiers from all other tour cardholders.

The group format is only first to five legs so there is a greater likelihood of surprise results and big averages. The knockout stages are longer format so total 180s and high checkout bets are popular.

Players Championship Finals betting

Similar to the European Championship, this tournament sees the top 64 players from the 30 Players Championship events go to Minehead over three days. It is another fixed bracket draw.

World Championship betting

And then there's the big one. Some 96 players from all corners of the globe head to Alexandra Palace, London, in December looking to collect £500,000, the Sid Waddell prize and a small piece of darting immortality. This is a set format with the first two rounds being best of 5 legs, creeping up all the way to the final where it is a best of 13 set marathon. The top 32 players enter round two while the 32 Pro Tour order of merit qualifiers are drawn against 32 international and affiliate tour players.

Accumulators are popular in the early stages with punters looking at four-folds from each session pre-Christmas. Games can turn so quickly during set play meaning in-play betting might be more beneficial than a standard flutter. Because this is the biggest tournament in world darts, players are likely to raise their game or crumble under the pressure so noting how a player starts and settles into the game might be influential in terms of what bets will work best.

How does each way betting work in darts?

An each-way bet is two bets that consist of a win bet and a place bet, therefore doubling your stake. In most circumstances, bookmakers offer the runner-up in a tournament as the place part of the bet at half of the odds.

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