The PDC World Darts Championship runs from mid-December through to early January, straddling Christmas and New Year with the gleeful disregard for family television scheduling that only darts can manage. Alexandra Palace — Ally Pally — becomes the loudest indoor arena in Britain for three weeks, filled with people in Santa suits and Viking helmets screaming at small men throwing small arrows.
Why the Format Creates Prediction Market Opportunities
The World Championship starts with 96 players and ends with one. Every round generates new markets. First-round upsets create ripple effects in the draw. A qualifier knocking out a seed in round two suddenly has a cleaner path than anyone expected. Prediction markets update in real time; bookmaker lists update at the end of the day.
The Christmas break between rounds is traditionally when form dips — players return from festive celebrations at varying levels of readiness. Boromarket markets immediately post-Christmas often misprice players who had disrupted practice routines.
Historical Patterns Worth Knowing
- →The favourite wins roughly 30% of the time — don't over-stake on pre-tournament winners
- →Lower seeds perform better than their seeding suggests — the draw matters enormously
- →Night 1 upsets create value on the winner of the "easy" side of the draw
- →Nine-dart finish markets are among the most popular novelty bets at any bookmaker
If you only follow darts for one event a year, make it Ally Pally. And track the markets on Boromarket from the first-round draw onwards.