dart shooter: shooting for the stars
May 8, 2025
Soft tip darts has been quietly growing in popularity around the world since its emergence in the 1970s, offering a safer, more accessible alternative to traditional steel tip darts. With its lightweight plastic darts and electronic scoring boards, soft tip darts found particular success in Japan, South Korea, and the U.S., where arcades and digital connectivity made it a perfect fit. In recent years, that global wave has been making its way to Australia—helped along by a few passionate advocates of the game.
One such figure is Brisbane-based entrepreneur Pete Fantich, who founded Dart Shooter, a business that supplies soft tip dartboards to venues around the country. His journey into the soft tip world, however, came at an inopportune time.
A Business Born in Uncertainty
Just before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, Pete made a bold move: investing heavily in VDarts boards from a Melbourne supplier and persuading local pubs and clubs to trial them. Unfortunately, as lockdowns hit and venues shut down, those machines had to be removed just as they were starting to gain traction.
"It was a bit of a nightmare," Pete recalls. "I’d just started out, had all this equipment in place—and then everything ground to a halt." But rather than abandon the idea, he used the downtime to regroup. Dart Shooter emerged from that hiatus with a clearer vision, embracing newer models like the Bull Shooter G3 boards and refocusing on building a national network of connected venues.
The Soft Tip Experience
Soft tip darts is often misunderstood by traditional players, but it has some unique features that are driving its growth. The electronic boards not only keep score automatically, but most are internet-connected, allowing players to join games with others around the world in real-time. No registration, no membership cards—just walk up and play.
This ease of access makes soft tip darts a great fit for licensed venues, where casual players and newcomers are often looking for something easy to try. And for those who want to take it more seriously, many of the boards offer different target sizes—like the Bull Shooter’s dual 15" recreational and 13" professional sides—to challenge even experienced throwers.
Embraced by the Pros
During last year’s Australian Dart Masters, even big-name professionals got in on the action. Players like Peter Wright, Rob Cross, and Dimitri Van den Bergh had a throw on Dart Shooter’s machines. “Pete hit a 180 first try with my darts,” Fantich laughs. “They all signed my boards and genuinely seemed to enjoy the challenge of the smaller pro segment.”
Community Building in Brisbane and beyond
This Saturday, 10th May 2025, Brisbane’s Easy Times Brewing Co—just across from the Gabba—will host its first-ever Bull Shooter Darts Tournament in collaboration with Dart Shooter. With divisions for Pro, Advanced, and Novice players, the event aims to bring together a wide range of dart lovers in a friendly, competitive environment.
Whether you're a pub-goer looking for a new game to try, or a venue owner thinking about adding a social, low-maintenance sport to your entertainment lineup, soft tip darts could be worth a closer look.
For more information about the event visit the Facebook page here.
For more information about how you could get a Bull Shooter board installed at your venue check out the Dart Shooter Website.