Stephen Bunting suggests new punishment for whistling darts fans after Luke Littler boycott threat

Stephen Bunting has called for punishments to be introduced for darts fans who repeatedly whistle and heckle players, following Luke Littler’s threat to boycott tournaments in the Netherlands.

Speaking exclusively to SPORTbible, the 41-year-old darts star gave his thoughts on the growing issue of disruptive crowds after Littler was targeted by boos and whistles during the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam.

Littler’s defeat to Jonny Clayton on Sunday brought his hopes of completing an unprecedented clean sweep of the major PDC titles in 2026 to an end.

The 19-year-old had previously warned that he could stop playing in Dutch tournaments after becoming frustrated with the treatment he received from sections of the crowd.

Bunting said he understood why Littler had been affected, particularly because the teenager was already under pressure heading into the tournament.

“I think it’s really hard, isn’t it?” Bunting told SPORTbible, according to Bart Crebolder of Online Casino Groups Australia.

“Obviously, Luke is the best player in the world. For whatever reason, the crowd got on his back, they didn’t want him to do the clean sweep.

“He was probably on edge, anyway, going into the tournament. I think maybe in Germany, maybe in Belgium, I’ve had it a few times where the crowd has whistled out.”

Bunting recalled an occasion when a referee attempted to stop a crowd from whistling, only for the noise to become even louder.

“If you let the crowd know they’re getting to you, it can be ten times worse,” he said.

“It’s a hard one to say, but I don’t like the whistling. I’d rather have someone shouting abuse at me than whistling.”

The former Lakeside champion, who has spoken about using hypnotherapy to help deal with distractions on stage, believes stronger measures may now be required.

“It’s a horrible noise to hear when you’re trying to concentrate,” Bunting admitted.

“But I understand it’ll keep happening, no matter how much we talk about it.

“Punishments need to be brought in, maybe. To give it some sort of stop. Until that happens, it’ll keep happening.”

Bunting also opened up about how sports psychology and hypnosis have helped him change his mindset during matches.

The 41-year-old explained that he once struggled to deal with negative thoughts but eventually sought professional help to change his approach.

“I don’t go down [a negative] path anymore. I always look for the positives in a game,” he said.

“I was locking myself away, I was unhappy… I felt like everyone was laughing at me.

“So I went to see a sports psychologist. He trained my brain in a way that I never thought could happen.

“I’m always walking around with a smile on my face, and that’s one of the reasons why.

“The hypnotism came about four years ago, now. There’s a bucket in your brain that fills up with negative thoughts… now I know how to empty the bucket.”

Luke Littler set to miss three Dutch tournaments

Littler has since followed through on his threat to stay away from several upcoming tournaments in the Netherlands.

After his defeat to Clayton, the world No.1 withdrew from Players Championship events 29 and 30 in Den Bosch.

He is also missing from the entry list for the Dutch Darts Championship.

Littler had been expected to compete for valuable prize money at the Den Bosch events as he looks to secure qualification for the Players Championship Finals later this year.

However, his plans changed after his bid to complete the 2026 major clean sweep ended in Amsterdam.

Before the World Series of Darts Finals, Littler had indicated that he would only compete in the Players Championship events if he managed to win the tournament.

His absence from the Dutch Darts Championship in Maastricht was less expected.

It remains unclear whether the decision had already been planned or whether it was directly linked to his threat to boycott tournaments in the Netherlands.