LUKE LITTLER is set to lose nearly half of his £275,000 Premier League Darts winnings to the tax man.
The 17-year-old came out on top Thursday night after beating Luke Humphries 11-7 at the finals.
Teen sensation Littler was crowned champion on his Premier League debut and even hit a nine-darter during the final – becoming the second player to do so after Phil Taylor.
His win landed him a staggering six-figure prize fund plus another £40k from his four other nightly wins in Aberdeen, Liverpool, Belfast and Manchester.
But the youngster will not be taking home the £315k he has accumulated as according to AtIndex Littler will have to hand £136,263.60 to HMRC.
That’s £127,953 in income tax and £8,310.60 in National Insurance.
READ MORE ON LUKE LITTLER
This means after 17 weeks of the Premier League Littler will take home an estimated £178,736.40.
Which is still more than he earned in the run up to the World Championship final back in January where he lost in the final to Humphries.
On that occasion at Ally Pally Littler was left with the runner-up prize money of £200k.
Of that £73,203 will have gone to tax and £7,3330 to National Insurance – leaving him with £119,467.
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From these two tournaments alone Littler, who only turned 17 in January, has paid £217k in tax and pocketed nearly £300k.
And this is without including the darts star’s appearances and sponsorship deals with BoohooMan and Target, plus more he has secured since turning pro at the turn of the year.
Inside Littler’s massive rise
LUKE LITTLER has taken the darts world by storm since exploding onto the scene at the PDC World Championship.
Littler has credited his parents as the reason for being able to rake in the cash.
He told Sky Sports after beating Humphries at the O2: “It is 100 per cent [the best night of my life].
“I couldn’t believe it. I went over to Luke and he said ‘go and celebrate with your family like you said to me’ and I did. I just burst out crying and hugged them.
“Whenever I win something and go over to them, all the emotions come out because my mum and dad, they put their own money into me, got me the sponsors I have today, and I can’t thank you enough.”
Humble Luke respects the game, his family & rivals
By Rob Maul, Associate Sports Features Editor
THE THING about Luke Littler is that he’s pretty much the same kid now that he was before all the madness started.
Okay, so his life has gotten a tad crazier.
And he’s certainly far richer than he could have ever imagined, earning close to £1million in prize money and mega-money endorsements.
Yet underneath it all he’s still a teenager that remains, encouragingly so, unaffected by all the fame and fortune.
The flashiest thing about him are his trainers, which are worth several hundreds of pounds.
He is a 17-year-old who still wants to play Fifa on his computer, spend time with his girlfriend Eloise, grab a Nando’s with his family and catch up with his uni friends back home.
The fact he seems unchanged is the most remarkable thing and it is a credit to his parents, who are from humble stock in Warrington.
His mum Lisa works in a Yankee Candle shop while his dad Anthony has only just given up the taxi driving to help his oche-playing son.
They have grounded him and he’s a very down-to-earth kid.
Whenever you speak to Luke, as I have done many times, admittedly just after the intensity of a big match, he rarely says anything untoward.
How he has dealt with the media and intense microscope is astonishing.
He is not afraid to back himself or speak his mind but he never says anything derogatory about an opponent.
There is always respect for a rival and yes, he may be a showman and throw audacious checkouts, but it is not designed to embarrass anyone.
We knew he was good. Just not this good. And we simply don’t know how good he could become.