Professional Snooker player Mark King has been handed a ban for match-fixing.
The news comes after Snooker‘s governing body, the WBPSA, issued a statement on Friday morning.
The statement confirmed that the Englishman was found guilty after an investigation was carried out into irregular betting on his February 2023 Welsh Open match against Joe Perry and his December 2022 match against John Higgins.
It is said that King provided “Inside information on those matches that were used for betting”, but only the charges regarding the Higgins match were dismissed.
Perry and Higgins were not accused of anything and were not involved in the case.
King has been suspended since March 23rd pending the investigation but now faces further punishment.
The 50-year-old denied the charges but has been banned from the sport for five years and will have to pay £69,299.50 in costs. He has until 28th November to appeal the decision if he wishes.
The chairman of the WBPSA, Jason Ferguson, said: “I have known Mark King since he was very young. He is a very experienced player who has enjoyed great success and I am deeply saddened to read the finding in this case.
However, the integrity of this sport will always be our number one priority. This case is testament to the fact that no stone will ever be left unturned in ensuring that the hundreds of millions of snooker fans worldwide and our many global partners can have full confidence in this incredible sport.”
King is a former Nothern-Ireland Open champion and reached a career-high of world number 11 in 2003.
Match-fixing has long been a problem in the sport. Ten Chinese players were banned in 2023 for the offence. Stephen Lee is another high-profile case—his ban recently ended after 12 years.