British snooker star Mark King has learned his punishment for match-fixing.
An independent disciplinary committee found King guilty of one count of match-fixing and one count of providing inside information on a game.
King has since copped a five-year ban from the sport and was ordered to cough up a £68,000 fine by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).
The 50-year-old had initially been suspended in March 2023 after unusual betting patterns were reported prior to his Welsh Open first round encounter against Joe Perry, which King lost 4-0.
King had also fallen under suspicion after he lost 4-1 to John Higgins at the 2022 English Open.
He denied all charges and had his case heard by the independent committee over three days in May.
Although charges relating to his loss to Higgins, King was found to have ‘fixed, or contrived, or were a party to an effort to fix or contrive the result or score’ of the defeat to Perry in 2023.
King has until November 28 to appeal the independent committee’s ruling.
In a statement, WBPSA chairman Jason Ferguson lamented the committee’s verdict having known King for a long time, but reiterated the integrity of snooker ‘will always’ be his top priority.
“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,” 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 made his professional debut in 1991 and quickly ascended the rankings.
He reached his highest ranking of world No. 11 during the 2002/03 season but had to wait until 2016 for his first ranking victory when he took out the Norther Ireland Open.
King also gained notoriety when he challenged Australian snooker player Quinten Hann to a boxing fight after the two had an altercation following a match between the latter and Andy Hicks, who was a friend of King’s.
Hann would emerge victorious via points as the pair raised thousands for a boxing club in Dagenham.
King’s match-fixing scandal comes over a year after a whopping 10 Chinese players received bans for a similar offence.
Two players, Liang Wenbo and Li Hang, received lifetime bans as 2021 Masters winner Yan Bingtao received a four-and-a-half-year suspension.
One star who received a lengthy ban for match-fixing but is now able to continue playing is Stephen Lee.
Lee, a former world No. 5, copped a 12-year ban in 2013 after a string of suspicious bets involving a number of his games.
However, Lee is now able to return after his ban officially ended on October 12, although he was non-committal on a return to the sport when he spoke in 2022.
