He allegedly postponed matches and passed on information to bettors. Snooker pro Mark King now receives a long ban for this.
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- Snooker pro Mark King has been banned for five years for match-fixing and passing on insider information.
- The ban applies retroactively from March 2023 and is related to conspicuous betting on a match against Joe Perry at the 2023 Welsh Open. King denies the allegations.
English snooker pro Mark King has been banned for five years for match-fixing. This was announced by the World Snooker Association WPBSA on Friday. An independent committee had come to the conclusion that the 50-year-old had postponed matches and passed on insider information for betting purposes. King has always denied the allegations. He has until November 28 to appeal against the decision.
Ban applies until March 2028
The WPBSA (World Professional Billiards & Snooker Association) had already suspended King in March 2023 after conspicuous betting on his match against Joe Perry at the Welsh Open in February was reported. His ban applies retroactively from March 18, 2023 to March 17, 2028 and he was also ordered to pay the equivalent of around 80,000 euros. Two further charges in connection with a match against John Higgins in December 2022 were dropped.
WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson expressed his disappointment in the association's statement: "I have known Mark King since his youth, he is an experienced player with great successes. This result makes me all the sadder. But the integrity of our sport always has top priority."