Snooker player Mark King has lost his appeal against a five-year ban for match fixing, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) have announced.
The 51-year-old former Northern Ireland Open champion was originally banned in November 2024 and fined £70,000.
King was found guilty of "one count of match fixing and one count of providing inside information" on his match against Joe Perry in February 2023.
His appeal has been refused and all original sanctions will stand.
Mark King has lost his appeal
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The WPBSA statement confirmed: "He was found guilty of one count of match fixing and one count of providing inside information on his match played against Joe Perry on 13th February 2023."
King was ordered to pay £68,299.50 in costs in addition to his suspension.
The former champion was initially suspended by the WPBSA in March 2023, just one month after the match against Perry took place.
The suspension followed reports of suspicious betting patterns on the match.
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King's appeal was heard on April 8 by an Independent Appeals Committee chaired by Philip Evans KC.
The committee issued its decision on May 13, refusing King's appeal.
"Mr King's Appeal has been refused and the findings against Mr King regarding his match with Joe Perry and in relation to the sanction that was imposed at the original Hearing will stand," the WPBSA statement read.
A decision regarding the costs of the appeal "will be made in due course," the statement added.
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Mark King was caught for his match in 2023 against Joe Perry
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The investigation into King's match was carried out alongside the WPBSA's bet monitoring partner Sportradar and the Sports Betting Intelligence Unit at the Gambling Commission.
King was subsequently charged with "fixing the outcome of the Perry match" and his December 2022 game against John Higgins.
He was also accused of "providing inside information on those matches that was used for betting."
The charges followed a thorough investigation after suspicious betting patterns were identified in connection with King's matches.
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King has previously spoken openly about his gambling addiction, which began in childhood.
He recalled playing cards with a ten-year-old Ronnie O'Sullivan and gambling on fruit machines from a young age.
"From a young age, I used to stay round my nan's house on a Thursday. We played Yahtzee, an old-school game," King explained.
His five-year match ban will stand
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He described roulette machines as "the absolute crack cocaine of gambling" and remembered winning £16 on a fruit machine as a child.
"I thought, 'Oh my god, I'm rich'," he said.
