- Mark King was found guilty of match-fixing and providing inside information.
- He had denied the charges and the case was heard before an independent committee.
Snooker star Mark King has been banned for five years and fined £68,000 for match-fixing.
The 50-year-old Englishman was found guilty of one count of match-fixing and one count of providing inside information about a match following an independent disciplinary committee.
King was initially suspended in March 2023, a month after suspicious bets were reported on his 4-0 loss to Joe Perry in the first round of the Welsh Open.
The former world number 11 was also under suspicion for his 4-1 loss to John Higgins at the English Open in December 2022.
Following an investigation, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) referred King’s case to a disciplinary hearing in November 2023.
After King denied the charges, his case was heard before an independent committee in May, which concluded that he had “fixed or engineered, or was part of an effort to fix or engineer the result or score of Perry’s match.”
Snooker star Mark King has been banned for five years and fined £68,000 for match-fixing.
The 50-year-old denied the charges and the case was heard before an independent committee.
Charges related to his confrontation with Higgins were dismissed. A statement from the WPBSA confirmed that Perry, a former Masters finalist, and Higgins, a four-time world champion, “were not charged with any crime.”
King, whose only ranking title came at the Northern Ireland Open in 2016, has until November 28 to appeal.
WPBSA president 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 be left unturned to ensure that the hundreds of millions of snooker fans around the world and our many global partners can have full confidence in this incredible sport.’
King’s suspension has inflicted further damage on the sport’s image, shortly after 10 Chinese players were banned in June 2023 for their involvement in a major match-fixing scandal.
Liang Wenbo and Li Hang were banned for life, while 2021 Masters champion Yan Bingtao was suspended until December 2027.
Former world number 9 Zhao