Iconic 'voice of darts' Russ Bray credits Luke Littler with DOUBLING his earnings

The effect can't always be measured exactly when discussing the growth of darts. One man who can put a number on it is referee Russ Bray, though.

Bray, known as The Voice of Darts, claims teenage sensation Littler has helped him double his earnings from his darts app. The 67-year-old's unique delivery has made him one of the sport's most recognisable figures, but the app was bringing him in an average of just £12,000 per year before Luke the Nuke came along.

Littler had a burgeoning reputation even before he reached the final of the on his debut. This year, though, he became - and there has been a knock-on effect.

"A guy got hold of me from up north and asked if he could do a Russ Bray darts app," Bray told . "I said: 'How much is it going to cost me?' He said: 'Nothing. All you’ve got to do is record names and numbers.'

"So I did that and he set it all up. It’s become one of the most successful on Apple. I make £12-13,000 a year from that on average. And when you talk about the Luke Littler effect, last year I probably earned £30,000 from it. Luke Littler has brought darts to the fore."

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It's not the first time Bray has shed light on Littler's impact on his app. "Andy [Aisbitt, who approached Bray about making the app] has since made the app accessible for people to play each other, from anywhere in the , and the Luke Littler effect on it has just been absolutely incredible," he said in 2024. "I get paid by the app monthly, and after the World Championships last year, the big pay day for that one comes in February.

"Looking at what I normally get from it every month, I'd say the month after Luke Littler made the final, I got paid 12, maybe 13 times more than what I normally get. And then the following month was around nine times, and the month after was around eight times. So in those three months, it was just obscene. It's fantastic."

Littler's own financial success has arguably been even more striking. He earned his first career six-figure score with his runner-up finish against Luke Humphries on his World Championship debut, along with another £500,000 for winning the same tournament 12 months later and another six-figure sum for his triumph in 2024.

There's another £275,000 in store for whoever wins that competition this year, and Littler leads the standings after 12 weeks. He has already scooped £40,000 for his four weekly event wins, and is well on track to reach the play-offs.