Michael van Gerwen tables complaint to PDC Tour over £600k gulf

has voiced his concerns over the and runner-up in the next . Despite losing the last two finals at Alexandra Palace, Van Gerwen appreciates the surge in prize money in the sport, with the forthcoming champion set to pocket a cool £1million. Last month, Barry Hearn, the president of the , announced a 25 per cent increase in circuit prize money to £25m.

When Luke Littler defends his title at Ally Pally, where he won £500,000 as champion four months ago, he will be aiming for the first seven-figure payday in darts. However, the 2026 runner-up at Ally Pally will receive £400,000 - less than half the winner's prize - a disparity that MVG believes is too severe, especially when the outcome could hinge on a single dart. Three years ago, Joe Cullen missed what would have been the most costly dart in history when he failed to hit double 16 to beat Van Gerwen in an exciting Premier League play-off final.

The Dutchman seized the opportunity to secure victory with his next throw and claim the £275,000 top prize, leaving Cullen with £125,000 as runner-up. Cullen's £150,000 miss could be overshadowed if the Ally Pally final goes to sudden death - a flaw in the system that Van Gerwen has identified.

The three-time world champion stated: "In my opinion, the reward for second place should never be lower than half of the top prize - you don't see it in other sports. The PDC did really well to make this happen (£1m for winning a tournament) and it's a dream for everyone.

"You can never win too much money, but if you ask me if it distorts the rankings system (which is based on prize money over a two-year cycle), I would say yes. But then, who am I to make the rules?".

"There are always things you can disagree with or moan about, but I think we can be proud of the way they have come up with big increases."

The prize money for major sporting events varies greatly, with Wimbledon's men's and ladies' singles champions taking home £2.7 million each, while the runner-up receives £1.4m.

In contrast, the winner of the World Snooker Championship will receive £500,000, with the runner-up earning £200,000, a similar ratio to the PDC World Championship.

The increased prize money allows top seeds in the PDC to be more selective about which events they participate in.

Van Gerwen has chosen to skip the Australian leg of the World Series tour this summer but will compete in the showcase event at New York's Madison Square Garden in June.