Right on target! Darts stars smash 180 record as The Even Bigger 180 lands £1.25 million

Superstars of darts set a new record for the most maximums ever seen at the World Darts Championship in a perfect finish to Paddy Power’s Even Bigger 180 campaign. 

The world’s top players landed an astonishing 1,127 180s over the course of the showpiece tournament at London’s Alexandra Palace – with each maximum score securing a £1,000 donation as part of Paddy Power’s award-winning campaign. 

Darts fans added an extra £128,000 to the total by entering Paddy Power’s Darts of Destiny challenge, which gave one lucky fan the chance to win £180,000 by scoring 180 points in nine darts on the night of the final. 

Altogether, the campaign has raised a staggering £1.25 million to support groundbreaking prostate cancer research – like our TRANSFORM trial, which aims to find the most effective way to screen men for the disease. 

Olympic legend Sir Chris Hoy, who’s an ambassador for the campaign, described the fundraising total as “mind-blowing”. 

“It’s incredible to see the Even Bigger 180 campaign raise a record-breaking amount of money this year,” he said. “The funds raised will make a tangible difference in the fight against prostate cancer and help countless men and their families across the UK.” 

At the end of a dramatic tournament packed with shocks, upsets and entertaining action at the oche, it was world number one Luke Littler who once again came out on top. 

The 18-year-old beat Dutchman Gian Van Veen in a one-sided final to successfully defend the championship and lift the famous Sid Waddell trophy for the second time. 

In doing so, he became only the fourth player in history to win back-to-back world titles – another sensational achievement in his remarkable rise to stardom. 

And ‘The Nuke’ didn’t stop there. On his way to victory in the showpiece final, Littler landed 16 maximums – taking his tournament total to 73 and clinching the coveted Ballon d’Art trophy.  

Over the last three years, Littler has now fired in an incredible 212 maximums at Alexandra Palace, single-handedly raising £212,000 to support our work. 

This year’s campaign lived up to its billing as Paddy Power’s biggest yet, topping the £1.03 million total raised at last year’s tournament and the £1 million donated in 2023/24.  

Over the last three years at the World Darts Championship, Paddy Power has now pledged more than £3.25 million to support our vital prostate cancer research. 

And that’s not all. The fundraising total is set to soar even higher, with 1,127 special dartboards now available to collect at selected Paddy Power shops across the UK in exchange for a donation to support the campaign. 

The popularity of the campaign has also raised lifesaving awareness of the disease, with a further 145,000 men visiting our website during this year’s campaign to check their risk of prostate cancer. Around 113,000 of these men were identified as being at high risk of the disease. 

“It’s been a tournament to remember, with some simply staggering scoring helping us raise an unbelievable sum – one 180 at a time – that will help change the game for men,” said our Chief Executive, Laura Kerby. 

“This really has been a lifesaving partnership, with more than 400,000 men completing our Risk Checker during the last three campaigns. 

“Prostate cancer remains the UK’s last major cancer without a comprehensive screening programme. And we’re so grateful to Paddy Power, whose incredible donations are supporting our revolutionary TRANSFORM trial. This is the future of screening and it will find the missing pieces we need to build a safe and effective screening programme for all men, to catch prostate cancer early and save thousands of lives.” 

The World Darts Championship may be over for another year – but there’s one more thing you can do to get behind the Even Bigger 180. And it only takes 30 seconds of your time. 

Check your risk of prostate cancer today. It’s only three quick questions, but it might just save your life.