Jake is a Football and Entertainment betting expert, with a Man City season ticket and a deep knowledge of reality TV betting angles
- World Champion Luke Humphries is the betting favourite to win this year's World Matchplay
- Wonderkid Luke Littler faces Michael van Gerwen in massive first round fixture
- Defending champion Nathan Aspinall sits at 33/1 in the market
- Full first round fixture list with dates is here
World Champion Luke Humphries is the betting favourite to win this year's World Matchplay
This year's World Darts Matchplay kicks off on Saturday and it's World Champion Luke Humphries who leads the way with UK Betting Sites to win the event.
Humphries meets newcomer Ricardo Pietreczko in the first round and comes into the event in fantastic form after winning the World Cup of Darts alongside Michael Smith earlier this month.
32 players compete at the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool this month for the second biggest title on the PDC Calendar and Humphries will be hoping to follow his World Championship with a win here.
Bet365's latest betting odds give an implied probability of 25% that Humphries wins the event, with another Luke in Littler following just behind him in the market.
| World Matchplay 2024 Winner | Odds | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Luke Humphries | 3/1 | 25.0% |
| Luke Littler | 4/1 | 20.0% |
| Gerwyn Pricce | 7/1 | 12.5% |
| Michael van Gerwen | 9/1 | 10.0% |
| Rob Cross | 14/1 | 6.7% |
What the expert says...
Wonderkid Luke Littler faces Michael van Gerwen in massive first round fixture
Luke Littler is arguably the biggest name in Darts currently with the 17-year-old becoming a household name after reaching the World Darts Championship final in his debut year.
This event will be Littler's first appearance at the World Matchplay and there's not many trickier starts he could have been given than facing Michael van Gerwen.
Van Gerwen has won three World Matchplay titles during his career with the last coming back in 2022 and he'll be looking to go again this year.
Littler though goes into the opening game as the odds-on favourite at 8/13 with van Gerwen 13/10 to beat Littler.
World Matchplay Darts Betting Guide
Defending champion Nathan Aspinall sits at 33/1 in the market
Stockport's very own Nathan Aspinall heads into the World Matchplay this year as the reigning champion after winning at the Winter Gardens last year.
The Asp comes up against Luke Woodhouse in the opening round this year and is odds-on favourite to beat the tournament debutant on Saturday evening.
32-year-old Aspinall currently sits at 9th favourite in the outright market for the event with bookies currently putting him at 33/1 to win.
Full first round fixture list with dates is here
The full fixture list for the Darts World Matchplay is now here, with the PDC confirming and exciting opening night at the event this year.
Saturday July 13 (1930 BST)
First Round x4
Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney
Jonny Clayton v Raymond van Barneveld
Luke Humphries v Ricardo Pietreczko
Nathan Aspinall v Luke Woodhouse
