Newly-crowned world darts champion Luke Littler has already paid nearly £500,000 in tax, despite not yet reaching his 18th birthday.

The 17-year-old picked up a momentous world title last week, a move that banked him a staggering £500,000.

However, he has already enjoyed a financially lucrative career, having already amassed £1,013,500 in tournament earnings even before picking up the world title.

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That's according to investment firm Saxo, whose figures show that in 2024 alone, he earned a total of £811,000. That means his tax bill for the calendar year clocked in at a staggering £369,384.

Combined with the tax paid on his £202,500 winnings in 2023, Littler has already paid a total of £452,772 in income tax.

He will now also have to pay tax on his winnings at Alexandra Palace, where he toppled Michael van Gerwen in the final to claim the title.

Littler has a number of other revenue streams, including a sponsorship deal with Target Darts, which is believed to be worth millions.

Dan Squires, chief commercial officer at Saxo, claims the teenager could actually earn more than £13m without ever throwing a dart again.

"If he invested half of his career earnings today, or £500,000, into an index fund returning 7% annually, he would earn £36,145.04 in interest in the first year alone, around the same amount Brits earn on average each year working a full-time job," he said.

"If he leaves that £500,000 into the same fund for his retirement, at age 65, he would have £13,293,751.87 without ever throwing another dart again."