“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.”
BBC Sport has contacted the PDC for comment.
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”.
