Sky Bet have cut Michael van Gerwen's World Title odds despite his Grand Slam final defeat.
Van Gerwen now 100/30 for world title with Sky Bet
Rising star Michael van Gerwen looks the man to watch in the PDC World Darts Championship according to Sky Bet, despite Raymond Van Barneveld clinching his first major title in five years on Sunday night.
Van Barneveld defied the odds to beat Van Gerwen 16-14 in the final of the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton and has been cut to 10/1 fourth favourite to lift the game's top prize at the Alexandra Palace over Christmas.
But van Gerwen, who defeated 13-time world champion Phil Taylor on his way to the final and clinched the World Grand Prix in Dublin last month, is the biggest mover with
Sky Bet.
Darts trader Craig Ibbotson said: "Van Gerwen has been hugely impressive over the last nine days of Grand Slam action and dependant on the draw for the World Championships could well go off sole favourite.
"He is currently 100/30 from 12/1 pre-Grand Slam. The prospect of him winning the PDC World title at the start of the year was virtually unthinkable as he was originally priced up at 100/1.
"Van Gerwen is certainly our biggest loser in the book and the Sky Bet offices will be hoping he gets a tough draw!"
Taylor will be
his biggest price in over a decade for the world title and at the close of the Grand Slam of Darts was 3/1 top price.
But Ibbotson explained: "We then saw a flood of money for Taylor which forced him into 11/4 and Van Gerwen from 3/1 out to 100/30.
"Barney also looks back to his best and as a result we have slashed his odds from 16/1 to 10/1 to claim his second world title and his first since 2007."
