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Nathan Aspinall says he feels the crowd attending the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters “weren’t all there of their own accord”.
The two-day event featuring world champion Luke Littler, compatriot Luke Humphries and Dutchman Michael van Gerwen is the first to be held in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which has strict no-alcohol regulations.
It is part of the World Series of Darts but the tournament is being held at the 1,000-capacity Global Theater, Riyadh.
Speaking to YouTube channel Darts Now, Aspinall, 34, said “there is definitely a long way to go” before the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and Saudi Arabia could build a long-term partnership.
“It’s certainly different,” he added.
“I’m not stupid. I feel like they [the crowd] weren’t all there of their own accord, shall we say, and it was quite a small venue.
“Everything needs to start somewhere, but as long as people walk away from the week and are like, ‘You know what, we really enjoyed the darts’, and it gets good coverage.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the PDC told BBC Sport the organisation was “delighted to see such strong interest” in the Saudi event, and Aspinall’s comments were “reflecting on the fact that this was a first-of-its-kind darts event in the region”.
The spokesperson said all spectators attended as ticket-holders or guests, adding: “As with any new market, the atmosphere and crowd make-up can differ from long-established darts events such as those in the UK and Europe.”
Saudi Arabia has staged many major sports events in recent years, including Formula 1 and golf, and will host the men’s football World Cup in 2034. But the regime has been criticised for its record on human rights and environmental impact.
“It was a lot better than I thought. There were a lot more people than I expected,” said Aspinall.
Darts is known for its boisterous crowds but with the Saudi event being free of alcohol, Aspinall said the atmosphere “was different” before adding, “but you know what, I enjoyed it. Whenever I looked out into the crowd, you could actually tell they were watching it”.
The event this week is also offering the biggest prize pot for a nine-darter – $200,000 (£149,400) – in PDC history.
Players will bank $100,000 (£74,700) for a nine-darter – which could then be doubled if they hit the bullseye with one extra dart.
Aspinall beat Lourence Ilagan of the Philippines 6-2 in the first round on Monday and will take on Man Lok Leung of Hong Kong, who caused an upset by defeating Dutchman Danny Noppert 6-3, in Tuesday’s quarter-finals.
The Englishman said he was “laughing the whole game” with Ilagan as the crowd got to grips with the rules of the sport, especially when they would clap when players had another two darts in their hand after throwing a treble 20.
Two-time world champion Littler defeated Singaporean veteran Paul Lim 6-1, Humphries beat Japan’s Ryusei Azemoto 6-2, while Van Gerwen booked his place in the last eight with a 6-1 victory over India’s Nitin Kumar.
Welshman Gerwyn Price whitewashed Alexis Toylo of the Philippines 6-0 and England’s Stephen Bunting progressed to the next round with a 6-1 win over Japan’s Tomoya Goto.
Saudi Arabia Darts Masters quarter-finals
Michael van Gerwen v Stephen Bunting
Nathan Aspinall v Man Lok Leung
Gian van Veen v Luke Littler
Gerwyn Price v Luke Humphries
