A darts professional has reportedly been stripped of World Darts Championship prize money and lost his PDC Tour Card following a disciplinary decision that has sent shockwaves through the sport.
The ruling comes after an investigation by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) into an incident linked to this year’s World Championship, with officials concluding that the player had breached competition regulations.
As a result, the player’s tournament earnings have been forfeited, and his Tour Card — which allows competitors to play full-time on the professional circuit — has been revoked with immediate effect.
In a brief statement, the PDC confirmed the sanctions, stressing its commitment to maintaining the integrity of the sport.
“The PDC operates a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to breaches of our rules and regulations,” the statement read.
“Following a full review of the matter, appropriate disciplinary action has been taken.”
While the governing body did not go into full detail regarding the nature of the breach, sources close to the situation indicated it related to a serious off-stage issue rather than on-oche performance.
Losing a Tour Card represents a significant blow for any professional, effectively removing access to ranking events, major qualification routes and guaranteed income opportunities on the PDC circuit.
The forfeiture of World Championship prize money adds further weight to the punishment, underlining the seriousness with which the offence has been treated.
Former professionals and pundits have reacted by pointing out that such penalties are rare and usually reserved for the most severe cases.
“This isn’t something the PDC does lightly,” one former player said. “To lose prize money and your Tour Card tells you the breach crossed a very clear line.”
The affected player now faces an uncertain future, with any return to professional darts likely to require requalification through Q-School or further approval from the sport’s governing bodies.
The incident serves as a stark reminder that, while darts continues to grow commercially and globally, standards of conduct both on and off the stage are being enforced more strictly than ever.
