British snooker star Mark King has been suspended from the World Snooker Tour for “irregular betting patterns”.

SNOOKER PLAYER Mark King has been suspended from the World Snooker Tour amid an investigation into reports of irregular betting patterns.

The world No. 57 from Romford was due to face Muhammad Asif in the first round of the WST Classic on Saturday afternoon in Leicester.

1

But that match never happened and Asif was handed an easy win due to the intervention of World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) Chairman Jason Ferguson.

The WPBSA announced Saturday that King would be banned from “performing or participating” in the tour, effective immediately.

This follows an initial investigation into irregular betting patterns reported to the WPBSA in relation to last month’s match between King and Joe Perry at the Welsh Open.

The suspension will remain in effect pending the completion of the investigation or any subsequent indictment.

King has the right to appeal that decision, but if the investigation takes several weeks to complete, he’ll likely miss a chance to compete in Crucible qualifying in Sheffield next month.

SunSport has reached out to King for comment.

The 48-year-old Essex Potter turned professional in 1991 and his only ranking title was the 2016 Northern Ireland Open when he beat Barry Hawkins 9-8 in the final in Belfast.

There is no indication of any wrongdoing on the part of Perry, who won that tie 4-0.

News of King’s suspension comes as 10 Chinese players have been charged over a series of alleged match-fixing charges.

All the stars – including Triple Crown winners Yan Bingtao and Zhao Xintong – remain banned from competitions and will miss the 2023 World Snooker Championships.

Monday 24 April – day ten of the action at the World Championships in Sheffield – has been set to start proceedings on the corruption investigation that has rocked the sport.

The hearing interviews will be conducted via video link as nine of the 10 players suspended over allegations of contest manipulation have returned to China.

Sport Resolutions has appointed Ian Mill KC to chair the Independent Disciplinary Hearing.

Mill has extensive experience working on various sports cases and has chaired or served on committees in tennis, cricket, boxing and football.

He was appointed Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer for World Tennis in October 2014 and sits as the Steward of Appeal of the British Boxing Board of Control and as a member of the FA Premier League Panel.