Why Gerwyn Price got three-month ban and huge fine as Welshman gears up for Luke Littler

Gerwyn Price received a three-month suspended ban and a significant fine from the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) for his conduct at the 2018 Grand Slam of Darts.¹ His actions during two specific matches, and subsequent social media posts, were deemed to have brought the sport into disrepute and amounted to gamesmanship.

Here’s a breakdown of the reasons and the fine:

The Incidents:

• Quarter-final vs. Simon Whitlock: Price was fined £8,000 for his behavior during this match. Reports indicate he was overly aggressive in his celebrations and clashed verbally with Whitlock.² Referee Russ Bray even had to tell Price to calm down.
• Final vs. Gary Anderson: This was the most controversial match. Price was fined £12,000 for his antics in the final.³ He and Anderson clashed over accusations of slow play and Price’s exaggerated celebrations, which Anderson perceived as attempts to put him off.⁴ There were physical confrontations, with Anderson even pushing Price at one point.⁵ The DRA concluded that Price’s actions were “a cynical attempt to put off his opponents to gain him an advantage.”
• Social Media Posts: Price was also fined £1,500 for “inappropriate posts on social media” after the tournament, which were quickly deleted.

The Total Fine and Ban:

• Initially, Price was fined a total of £21,500.⁶
• He was also given a three-month ban from darts, suspended for six months. This meant that if he breached any DRA rules again within that six-month period, the three-month ban would be immediately imposed in addition to any new penalties.
• Price appealed the decision. While his appeal against the finding that he breached the rules was rejected, two of his fines were halved on appeal.⁷ The £8,000 fine for the Whitlock match was reduced to £4,000, and the £12,000 fine for the Anderson match was reduced to £6,000. The £1,500 social media fine remained unchanged. This brought his revised total fine down to £11,500, though he also had to pay £2,325.24 towards the appeal costs. The suspended ban remained in place for the specified period.

The DRA stated that Price’s behavior “drew an unprecedented number of complaints from members of the public” and that his actions “went beyond what was acceptable.”⁸ While Price felt he was unfairly treated and didn’t deserve any fine, the DRA’s decision aimed to stamp out unsportsmanlike behavior.