Mark King handed five-year snooker ban after guilty match-fixing verdict
King also found guilty of providing inside information and hit with five-figure fine as Gambling Commission director insists saga proves betting-related corruption “will not be tolerated”
Snooker player Mark King has been suspended for five years after being found guilty of one count of match-fixing and one count of providing inside information.
King has also been ordered to pay £68,299.50 in costs by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) in the body’s first regulatory action since banning two Chinese players for life in June 2023.
The five-year ban has been backdated to 18 March 2023 and will run until 17 March 2028. King will be prohibited from participating in any shape or form in WPBSA events for the specified period.
The former Northern Ireland Open champion was first suspended by the WPBSA in March 2023 after suspicious betting patterns were detected in relation to his match against Joe Perry, played a month prior on 13 February 2023.
In turn, a WPBSA investigation, which was assisted by its monitoring partner Sportradar and the Gambling Commission’s Sports Betting Intelligence Unit, resulted in snooker’s governing body determining King’s case should be referred to a disciplinary hearing.
In the hearing, King was faced with questions regarding his alleged fixing of the match against Perry as well as his fixture against John Higgins on 13 December 2022, and providing inside information on those matches that was subsequently used for betting.
King denied all charges at the Independent Disciplinary Committee hearing, which was chaired by Graeme McPherson KC and ran between 7 and 9 May 2024.
Although the two charges linked to King’s fixture against John Higgins were dismissed, the ex-world number 11 was judged to have breached Part 2 Rule 2.1.2.1 and Rule 2.2 of WPBSA regulations in relation to the game against Perry.
The disciplinary committee’s findings stated King had “fixed or contrived, or was a party to an effort to fix or contrive, the result or score of [the Perry match]”.
It was also determined that King had provided information to “another person or persons” that “included the fact that you [King] would contrive the score and/or outcome of the match”.
The WPBSA noted that neither Perry nor Higgins were ever investigated for similar offences.
WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson said: “The global expansion of this sport brings with it great responsibility, both for our players and for the WPBSA as the sport’s world governing body.
“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 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.”
John Pierce, Gambling Commission enforcement director, insisted the verdict should serve as a warning.
He added: “All betting customers in Britain’s should have confidence that bets placed with licensed gambling businesses are on markets that are fair and free from betting-related corruption.
“This is why our Sports Betting Intelligence Unit will always work closely with partners such as the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association to support their sporting integrity investigations and allegations of match-fixing.
“Today’s announcement should send a clear message that betting-related corruption in sport will not be tolerated.”
King has until 28 November 2024 to appeal the Independent Disciplinary Committee’s verdict.