The Christmas sweepstake
The World Darts Championship runs at Alexandra Palace from mid-December into the first days of January, which gives it a rhythm no other sweepstake has: draw at the Christmas party, follow it through the holidays, settle it in the first week back. For a lot of offices it is the social event that outlasts the party itself.
It also needs zero darts knowledge. The format does the work: upsets, deciding sets and the occasional moment of history, all through the period when people are at home with the television on.
How to deal a 90-plus player field
The championship field is far bigger than any office, so pick a structure before you draw:
- One player each, rest unassigned: simple, works for any group size. Agree up front that if an unassigned player wins the championship, the pot goes to the holder of the best-finishing assigned player.
- Deal multiples: everyone holds a handful of players, and nobody is out of the sweepstake in week one. Best for small and mid-sized groups.
- Two draws - a seed and an outsider each: run one draw for the seeded players and a second for the qualifiers, so every player holds one contender and one long shot. The best balance of hope and comedy.
What wins, and the side prizes darts does best
The main pot goes to whoever holds the champion. But darts is unusually rich in trackable side moments - carve off a slice of the pot for them:
- The nine-darter bonus: if any of your players throws a nine-dart leg, you win the bonus. Rare enough to be exciting, official enough to be indisputable.
- First seed eliminated: a consolation laugh, settled early.
- Furthest-run outsider: the unseeded player who goes deepest pays out their holder.
- Highest checkout of the tournament: another official stat, another reason to watch the graphics.
Run the draw at the party
Collect entries and money before the party, then run the draw as a fixture of the night - one random shuffle, every entrant assigned once, results locked and shareable so the people who skipped the party can check the list from their sofa. SweepstakeDraw's World Darts Championship draw is free for up to 3 players and £1.99 one-off for the full field.