Teenage darts champion Luke Littler has had an enlivening effect on the traditional pub game, prompting a whole new generation to grab the arrows and aim for a bullseye.
This demographic trend hasn’t been lost on Marco’s Pool Hall and Pizza Bar in Edinburgh’s Grove St, where a brand new interactive darts area, with state-of-the-art computer vision technology, has just been launched to appeal to Gen Z bar sports fans.
Marco’s new dartboard reacts to players’ performances with animations, plus players can check their stats and take group selfies – offering ‘a whole new level of entertainment’ on top of the basic game, in much the same fashion as offered by modern 10-pin bowling alleys.
To inspire even more people to try their hand at the game, Marco’s has also announced that it will be sponsoring Scottish darts protégé, Robert Sutherland Junior.
Hailing from West Lothian, Robert is the current Disability Darts Scotland (DDS) champion, and captained the Junior Darts Corporation (JDC) Scotland B Team in Gibraltar in 2023, where his team was placed third in the world.
Reacting to the sponsorship deal, Robert said: “I’m thrilled to have the support of Marco’s. It comes at an exciting time in my career and I’m fully focused on taking darts as far as possible. I hope I can show other people that darts is a challenging, fun and inclusive sport that anyone can try their hand at.”
Marco’s owner Paul Demarco said: “It’s fantastic to see a younger generation discover darts for the first time and I’m confident that anyone who tries our interactive dartboard will be hooked! The beauty of the game is that anyone can have a go.
“No doubt Robert Sutherland Junior will inspire many more to take up the sport and we’re proud to support him on his journey to international success.”
The new interactive darts area at Marco’s is the latest addition to the popular venue, which features no less than 18 professional American pool tables, a cocktail and pizza bar, and a private hire karaoke room.
