‘Voice of Darts' Russ Bray's earnings from side hustle more than DOUBLE thanks to Luke Littler
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RUSS BRAY has revealed that earnings from his darts app have more than doubled due to the "Luke Littler effect".
The veteran darts referee, 67, has worked as an official in the sport for nearly 30 years.
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Russ Bray has become one of darts' most recognisable figures
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Luke Littler's rise has prompted a boom in darts' mainstream popularity
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Following a useful recommendation, the raspy-voiced ref launched his Russ Bray darts app.
The app allows users to record the scores of their games, with Bray's recognisable voice announcing them.
Having made the app for free, the "voice of darts" Bray is now cashing in on the sport's boom following Littler's rise.
Speaking to The Times, the popular official revealed: "A guy got hold of me from up north and asked if he could do a Russ Bray darts app.
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"I said: 'How much is it going to cost me?' He said: 'Nothing. All you've got to do is record names and numbers.'
"So I did that and he set it all up. It's become one of the most successful apps on Apple.
"I make £12-13,000 a year from that on average.
"And when you talk about the Luke Littler effect, last year I probably earned £30,000 from it. Luke Littler has brought darts to the fore."
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Bray has also cashed in on his increased fame by recording video messages for fans.
The Essex-man revealed: "I also still do the personalised video messages for Cameo. I've got four to do today.
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"I get £37.50 per 30-second Cameo advert and have done £18,000's worth.
"If it's Mavis to Bert, wishing him a happy 50th birthday, I say: 'Hello Bert, Russ Bray here.
"'Mavis wants to wish you a happy 50th birthday.' And I tell him to have a wonderful time on the day and good luck."
Having previously been a policeman for 16 years, Bray's pivot into full-time darts has eventually proven to be a lucrative one.
But what does he like to spend his money on?
'I DO LIKE A LITTLE GAMBLE'
"Impulse buying, like buying a flip phone when I've already got a phone, because I think it'll be good," Bray admitted.
"I use it for a week then it goes in a drawer! I do like a little gamble.
"In 2003 I had a Jaguar XJS — beautiful car but the engine screwed up and I needed a rebuild. The bill came to £1,760.
"I thought, where am I going to get that from? I put a £20 accumulator on a betting app and it won.
"It came to £1,680, so my car engine only cost me £80. Talk about luck. I don't gamble anything huge.
"If I lose, the maximum I'd lose on a weekend would be £60. I've got William Hill and Bet365 online and just bet on the football.
"I'm ahead over the years and I don't bet a lot."
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