Mark King has been banned from snooker for five years after being found guilty of match-fixing.

King was handed a five-year suspension from the sport, a ban which runs until March 2028, and ordered to pay £68,299.50 costs.

He was suspended on March 18, 2023 after suspicious bets were placed on his Welsh Open match against Joe Perry on February 13, 2023.

An investigation followed, concluding that King had a case to answer for fixing the match against Perry and his match against John Higgins on December 13, 2022, as well as providing inside information about both.

King denied the accusations and an independent disciplinary panel heard the case in London from May 7 to 9, 2024.

Charges for the match against Higgins were dismissed, but he was found guilty of breaking the rules during his match against Perry.

King has until November 28, 2024 to appeal the decision made by the independent disciplinary committee.

“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 verdict in this case,” said WPBSA President Jason Ferguson.

“However, the integrity of the sport will always be our number one priority. This case is testament to the fact that no stone will ever be left unturned to ensure that the hundreds of millions of snooker fans around the world, as well as our many global partners, can have full confidence in this incredible sport.

King, 50, turned professional in 1991 and was a top-32 player from 1996 to 2015.

He won his first ranking title in 2016 at the Northern Ireland Open and reached the final of two others, the 1997 Welsh Open and the 2004 Irish Masters.

King reached a career-high ranking of 11th in the world in 2002/03 and has qualified for the round of 16 at the World Championship seven times.