Mark King Links Gambling Addiction to Childhood Game

A snooker champion with a decades-long career, who was recently hit with a hefty fine and five-year ban over match-fixing, recently spoke about his gambling addiction. That’s the case for Mark King, who won the 2016 Northern Ireland Open, among other major competitions.

King’s Career Took a Hit from Gambling

King recently participated in an episode for the Cue Sport Hub on YouTube, revealing intricate details regarding his past and the negative impact gambling had on his wife, career and mentality. Notably, the snooker champion acknowledged that his crippling gambling addiction impacted his career.

When asked if that’s the case, King responded: “100%, 100%. If I’d have got the message earlier on, I’d definitely won more tournaments.” The snooker champion acknowledged that he had lost tournaments against players who were good, but had he focused at 100%, without being impacted by thoughts about gambling, he would’ve won even more tournaments.

King remembered playing a tournament against John Higgins during the 1998 Welsh Open. This was the semi-finals and the former lost to the latter in a 6-5 game. Speaking about the day of the game, King explained that he was in the “betting shop all day, all day long.”

On that particular day, he said that the first dog race he placed a wager on was at 11 AM and he recalled betting “about £1,000.” After spending the whole day at the betting shop until around 6 PM, the snooker champion then returned to the hotel and started preparing himself for the tournament.

King added: “I wasn’t in the best frame of mind. I should’ve been resting, sleeping… you know… getting ready for a massive game.” Still, the snooker champion acknowledged that his young age may have been one of the reasons why he acted like he did back then.

The Snooker Legend Hasn’t Placed a Bet in More than 10 Years

In 2023, King was named among nearly a dozen other players who were suspended over alleged participation in match-fixing schemes. Then, more than a year later, in mid-November 2024, the snooker legend was banned for five years over match-fixing. In addition to the ban from the sport, the English snooker pro was also ordered to pay a fine of £68,299.50 ($88,200). King’s ban is still in place and will expire on March 17, 2028.

During the recent podcast, the snooker legend did not discuss the ban from the sport. However, King spoke about his first steps toward gambling. He revealed that while he was young, he used to go to his grandmother’s and often played the popular game, yahtzee. King said that while playing with his grandmother, she would give him a bag of two pences and they would place bets.

While he acknowledged that his relative gave him the money, he admitted that this is how he “started betting and learning that sort of stuff.” Then, around the age of 10, when King started playing snooker, he said that he used to go to a club and play fruit machines.

Luckily for him, the snooker legend was able to kick off his gambling addiction. King contemplated on his current life saying that it is “brilliant” and adding that it feels really good not to owe money. Finally, the snooker pro said that the last time he placed a bet was 13 years ago.