Phil Taylor fires words of warning to Luke Littler as world darts champions could lose £500k within a year on PDC Tour

LUKE LITTLER could lose HALF-A-MILLION quid within a year should he make a little-known error when it comes to his prize funds. The greatest to ever do it Phil Taylor has warned the Nuke about managing his eye-watering fortune. Littler has enjoyed a blockbuster first full year on the senior PDC tour, winning the World Championship for the first time in January.

The teenager secured a huge payday of £500,000 after he beat Michael van Gerwen to become the youngest ever world champ. But he has now been advised by darts legend Taylor to set up TWO bank accounts to manage his £1.5million earnings from the past year.

Despite being 18 years old, Littler will be hit with a hefty 45 per cent tax rate after his first full year on the tour. That could mean that he's up to £500,000 worse off after a visit from the taxman. But Taylor, 64, has been on hand with a useful piece of advice for the prodigal star.

The Power has revealed that he used two separate accounts to be able to efficiently manage his finances and tax obligations. Taylor told Sport Bible: "Make sure you look after your money. "Two bank accounts - one in one, and half in another. So that's your tax. That's what I always used to do.

"Try to start investing your money, so if anything happens, if you fall down and break your arm or something, you've got something to fall back on.". Littler had said that he had little idea what to do with his winnings after scooping the main prize at Ally Pally at the turn of the year.

Taylor, meanwhile, is the second-richest darts player of all-time in terms of career earnings - and has therefore knows a thing or two about managing money. Given the higher winnings in recent years, Van Gerwen has claimed the most prize money with £9 million banked.

Taylor also sent Littler a warning about how other players will approach matches against him this season. He said: "Everybody plays well against you because you're a big name. "I said it last week - you get the Manchester United syndrome. And Liverpool.

"You have to perform every week, you don't get an easy game now. As long as you can take the pressure, people putting pressure on you. "Because as soon as he loses, like he lost in the Players Championship, bang - they're on you. They're on your back. "They start asking, 'What's happened to you? Has the bubble burst?' You have to be thick-skinned, take no notice of it and carry on.

"That's all you can do [control what you can control]. It's like having a pub. Don't worry about the pub across the road, concentrate on your pub. "It doesn't matter what he's doing. But if he's doing anything good, have a think about it and do it yourself!".

Littler has lost five matches to opponents with a 100-plus average so far in 2025, including a 6-4 defeat to Gerwyn Price in night three of Premier League Darts on Friday. BELOW is a list of darts world champions by year. The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions.