In the United Kingdom, professional darts tournaments draw crowds of 15,000 per venue every week and players compete for an annual prize pool of 7 million.
But UK promoter Tommy Cox, who took a punt bringing the Australasian DartsKing spectacle to Invercargill, was more than happy last night with the local response. ''It's fantastic.
''We couldn't have wished for more,'' he said as a crowd of more than 1800 filled the main court at ILT Stadium Southland to watch two of the game's UK superstars in action.
A similar number is expected at the second night of the Invercargill encounter tonight.
The drawcards were World No2 Phil ''The Power'' Taylor and World No3 Adrian ''The Jackpot'' Lewis, taking on two Australians and four New Zealanders in the first leg of a three-venue Australasian series.
And a spectacle it was, like nothing Invercargill had seen.
There was music, chanting (''if you love your darts, stand up'' being among the popular refrains), pretty hostesses in short skirts, sports betting on each game, a little bit of drinking and, of course, some darts.
The crowd, veterans of televised events, knew how to dress - the wackier the better.
There were cavemen and women, gangsters and gun molls, cowboys and Indians, wizards and pirates, enough schoolboys and girls to start a school, a fair sprinkling of Hawaiian shirts and Pacific Island leis and the occasional Fred Dagg.
And they knew when to cheer, saving their loudest appreciation and their ''180'' cards for when the players hit the magic number of three triple 20s.
There was a rousing Southland welcome - a haka led by Frank Herewini, of Invercargill, and on Saturday night most of the visiting players experienced local seafood prepared and served by Bluff volunteer firemen at the fire station.
The tour did not start well for Taylor, who has won 16 world titles and more than $12 million in prize money. While he flew to New Zealand via Australia his bags flew somewhere else, leaving him without his clothes but, more importantly, without his darts.
Buying new underwear was the easy part, he said, but he was pleased to see his bags and darts turn up on Saturday.
Live darts is huge in Europe, North America, Canada and Asia and Taylor has played virtually all over the world, but never in New Zealand before.
There was a simple reason for that, he said.
''I've never been invited before.''
So what does he think of the country?
''Lovely. Very, very, very nice,'' he said.
For Cox, the aim of the DartKing series is to build up a following for live tournaments in New Zealand and Australia and, hopefully, organise a regular circuit ''spreading the gospel'' about darts as a competitive and lucrative sport and as entertainment.
As far as he was concerned, Invercargill would be on the circuit again.
The new Southland stadium, opened a year ago, was top-notch, he said.
''The best compliment I can pay it is that it looks like one of our premier league venues back home. It is that good.''
