Rob Cross claims there is no need for darts players to be jealous of Luke Littler's stunning rise to stardom.
The former world champion believes the teenager's success will only have financial benefits for every other player on the professional tour.
Littler rose to fame at the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, breaking a host of records to reach the final at the age of just 16.
Cross was one of the players he overcame on his way to meeting Luke Humphries in the final, with the world No 1 just proving too much on that occasion.
Rob Cross says there is no need for darts players to be jealous of Luke Littler
PA
But Littler has proven since that his performances were no fluke, winning the Bahrain Masters and reaching another final at the Dutch Darts Masters.
He earned a wildcard spot in the Premier League and won on the opening night in a rematch of the World Championship final against Humphries.
Littler has picked up a lucrative modelling contract with BoohooMAN, while he has also been tipped to be the face of the sport if it heads to Saudi Arabia.
But Cross says players must embrace Littler's emergence, insisting they will all be in a better position because of him.
The 2018 world champion told Lucky Block: "Every hurdle that he [Littler] comes across at the minute, he's got the answers for. I think he's fantastic, I really do.
"Has darts ever had that much reach before and after the World Championship before? He's got a million followers on Instagram and he's done it in 10 minutes.
"It's absolutely amazing. Not forgetting that there's no need to be jealous of this boy for what he's achieving because every one of us dart players is going to benefit from it.
"More money goes into the game, there's more injection of prize money and everyone will step up."
BoohooMAN announced the news on social media last week that Littler had earned a modelling contract.
Their X account wrote: "It's Official: boohooMan x @ lukethenuke180'. Welcome to the MAN family! We're excited for the year ahead."
Meanwhile, football finance expert Dr Rob Wilson can see darts as the next sport that heads to Saudi Arabia.
Dr Wilson believes Littler's presence will be attractive to Saudi chiefs, whose Public Investment Fund has changed the sporting landscape in recent years.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Rob Cross says darts players will benefit from Luke Littler's emergence
Getty
He told OLBG: "I have no doubt that Luke Littler will be on the map. However, keep in mind that darts is promoted and governed like boxing is.
"Boxing and UFC have both moved into Saudi Arabia and hosted successful events over the last four or five years, and I'd expect darts to be another fixture on their agenda if it shows the growth potential.
"Luke Littler burst onto the scene in the recent World Championships and now he's set to compete in Premier League darts despite not originally being permitted to play in it!
"Luke Littler is increasing demand for tickets, and a lot of Premier League fixtures have had a surplus of tickets as the demand wasn't quite there beforehand. Numbers were good, but not saturated.
Luke Littler has had a stunning rise to darts stardom in recent months
PA
"We're now seeing a demand for tickets, and that's due to Littler. That's proof that he's attracted new fans to darts, and anybody who's looking around the sport will want to get a piece of that action.
"They'll be thinking of how they can bring that success to another country and have Premier League darts in Saudi, Qatar, or somewhere else."