DOBEY THE LOCAL HERO IN 13/1 BETMGM PREMIER LEAGUE DARTS NIGHT 8 ACCA
A trip to the North East beckons as the 2025 BetMGM Premier League Darts season reaches the halfway mark at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena.
Night 8 fixtures have been determined by the league standings, meaning it’s bottom against top for the night's first quarter-final as Stephen Bunting takes on Luke Littler.
Even by his lofty standards the Nuke has been rampant of late, with two nightly wins and two runner-up finishes across the last four weeks. There was also the small matter of his nine-darter in Cardiff on Night 7.
Fourth-placed Gerwyn Price is next up, seeking revenge on Rob Cross after Voltage dumped the Welshman out of his home night at the first hurdle, while Cardiff runner-up Michael van Gerwen faces Nathan Aspinall to round off the quarters.
Sandwiched between those two ties is one to get the partisan Newcastle crowd roaring: local hero Chris Dobey against world number one Luke Humphries.
Here is the full quarter-final running order for Night 8:
BetMGM Premier League Darts Tips: 13/1 Night 8 Acca
- Under 8.5 legs in Littler vs Bunting
- Price to beat Cross
- Dobey most 180s vs Humphries
- Aspinall to average under 95.5 vs Van Gerwen
Add BetMGM’s 13/1 Night 8 Acca to your betslip
Leg 1 – Under 8.5 legs in Luke Littler vs Stephen Bunting
Littler sits pretty six points clear at the top having made the final in five of the seven nights to date, winning three.
Bunting, meanwhile, has lost every game so far. His clash with fellow struggler Dobey last week felt crucial; the 6-2 defeat was a hammer blow to his chances of progression.
The Bullet averaged just 87.05 in that defeat while Littler didn’t drop below 102 in any of his three games on the night – his spectacular performance included not only a 112.50 final average but a memorable nine-darter and 22 180s in his three matches too.
The BetMGM Premier League has been a real struggle for Bunting and, while in some weeks his performances have arguably deserved more, he really has his work cut out here against the world champion.
Indeed, Bunting has the lowest percentage of games with over 8.5 legs (57%) of any player in the league and has yet to even force a deciding leg in any of his seven attempts.
This one will not go far either. Littler is flying and Bunting can’t buy a win, so kicking off our Night 8 accumulator is under 8.5 legs in the match at 11/10.
Leg 2 – Gerwyn Price to beat Rob Cross @ 8/11
Price started too slowly against Cross in Cardiff, allowing Voltage to take a commanding lead he couldn’t overturn despite averaging higher than the Englishman.
Cross does have the better of recent clashes between the two – they hadn’t met in the BetMGM Premier League this season until last week but Voltage beat Price on his way to winning the Dutch Masters earlier in the year while the pair also swapped World Series wins in New York and Copenhagen last term.
Price had the better of their clashes during the 2024 Premier League season – winning two of their three meetings – and did play well after his slow start last week before being undone by Cross’s stunning 170 checkout with the score locked at 5-5.
The Iceman likes Newcastle, winning here in 2023 by thrashing Van Gerwen 6-1 in the final, and feels well-equipped to take his revenge on Cross at 8/11 to win the match. He likes this venue, winning here in 2023 by thrashing Van Gerwen 6-1 in the final, and we’re expecting him to have a good run this year.
Don’t forget: with BetMGM paying out early when your player takes a three-leg lead regardless of the final result, there is an added safeguard in backing the match winner market. More information can be found here.
Leg 3 – Chris Dobey to hit the most 180s vs Luke Humphries @ 57/50
Dobey had failed to win since making the final in Belfast on the opening night, so his Night 7 victory over Bunting was long overdue. He failed to build on it, however, being thrashed by Van Gerwen in the semi-finals.
A quarter-finals match against world number one Humphries represents about as difficult a task as Dobey could ask for on Night 8 but he does have one advantage firmly in his favour: the backing of what will be a raucous Geordie crowd.
Dobey and Humphries have met twice in the 2025 BetMGM Premier League and, while Cool Hand has won both matches, he has not yet managed to outscore the Newcastle thrower on the 180s count in either of them.
For all Dobey’s struggles, him throwing fewer 180s than both his opponents last week was something of an anomaly: before Night 7 he had hit more maximums than his opponent in five of his eight games, despite losing six of them, and currently only Luke Littler averages more per match (5.41) than his 3.40.
Humphries may well have too much for Dobey as far as the game is concerned but 57/50 for Dobey to hit the most 180s in front of the partisan North East crowd makes sense.
Leg 4 – Nathan Aspinall to average under 95.5 vs Michael van Gerwen @ 5/6
Aspinall has made two finals so far in the 2025 BetMGM Premier League yet remains rooted to the bottom in terms of scoring.
He takes on Van Gerwen at the Utilita Arena in their third meeting in the competition this term. They have won one apiece and are separated by five points in the standings.
Aspinall won the European Darts Trophy earlier this week to claim his first European Tour title, beating Humphries and Gary Anderson along the way in a performance that will give him a boost of confidence.
In the BetMGM Premier League, though, aside from his two runner-up spots he has only progressed past the quarter-finals once. MVG, meanwhile, has lost just one game at the last-eight stage so far and will be eyeing this as an opportunity to close the gap at the top.
As well as the Asp having the lowest three-dart average of all eight players at 94.31, he has averaged higher than his opponent in just four of his 12 games.
Indeed, the Stockport man hasn’t even averaged 90 in his previous two Premier League games while the last time these two met, on Night 6, he clocked just 89.04.
As such the anchor leg of our Night 8 acca is 5/6 for Aspinall to average under 95.5. Although we have seen flashes of brilliance from him, they have been just that: flashes.
Add BetMGM’s 13/1 Night 8 Acca to your betslip
Night 8 Odds & Specials
At the risk of repetition, Littler heads to Newcastle as the clear favourite to win the night. He is Evens with Humphries, as is becoming the norm, second in the betting at 3/1.
Aside from the two Lukes, there could be value to be found in Van Gerwen. Mighty Mike won in the North East last year and was runner-up in 2023 – he is 13/2 to be the Newcastle champion once again in 2025.
In what is sure to be a popular shout in the host venue, a home crowd-inspired Dobey victory is a long 18/1.
The full Night 8 winner odds are:
Littler hit a memorable nine-darter in the final last week in Cardiff, making that three in total for the 2025 BetMGM Premier League so far.
It’s 6/1 for a perfect leg to be hit at any point on the night in Newcastle and 66/1 if you fancy history to repeat itself with two or more perfect legs like in Brighton just three weeks ago.
Markets such as total evening 180s, over/under legs, King of the Oche and specific doubles to be hit are all available throughout this year’s BetMGM Premier League, with a whole host of markets on offer in-play.
Be sure to keep an eye on the BetMGM Premier League Darts Hub as well as our social media channels throughout Night 8.
2025 BetMGM Premier League Darts – it’s showtime!
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change
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