The Reputation of Snooker Takes another Hit

As an avid fan (and player) of Cuesports since I was a child I watch with angst every time Snooker takes a walk through the tabloids for less than good reasons. I would much prefer to read about Jimmy White making a 147 followed by a 146 break at an exhibition in Grimsby than top professional Stephen Lee getting arrested for an alleged part in another Snooker betting scandal. Both items hit the news this week in another mixed week for Snooker as it continues to modernise under new World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn.

Snooker and online sports betting fit together perfectly. The matches are unpredictable with enough swings to provide value opportunities throughout. Unfortunately where money is involved and prize money sparse beyond the best sixteen players in the world there is plenty of room for temptation for players to do something they shouldn’t. To the credit of most snooker players, 99% of pros refrain from such activity but scandals that have caused Jamie Burnett, Stephen Maguire and Stephen Lee to be questioned continue to appear in the news. We hope all the players are not guilty and it is worth mentioning that so far there is no hard evidence to suggest otherwise, but still the name of Snooker gets tarnished.

Stephen Lee, 35, was arrested on February 12th as part of a joint investigation into irregular betting patterns conducted by West Midlands Police and the Gambling Commission. There was no information provided as to what result or bet was in question but as Lee was arrested the likelihood is that there were irregular bets made for a match that he was involved in and that result came to pass, resulting in a big win for the sports bettors. World Snooker has pledged to launch their own investigation on the matter, which is ongoing. Lee was bailed and may face further questions in the future from Police if they undercover new information relating to the alleged irregular bets.

It is not the first time Stephen has made the news for less than positive reasons. In 2000 Lee was arrested for testing positive for Cannabis. At that point in his career he was number five in the World. With World Snooker under a new regime with Barry Hearn involved this is an untimely blow as Hearn looks to re-invent the sport.

Ronnie O’Sullivan is launching a search for “Snookers Next Star” giving one young player expert advice in an effort to create the next marketable snooker player who brings an element of flair and interest to the game. The last thing the sport needed was for more negative publicity. In April it is the showcase event at the Crucible, the World Championships. Ronnie is currently the favourite to win his fourth World Championship title at 5/2 with bwin. John Higgins is second favourite at 9/2 and my pick for the title, Mark Selby, is third favourite at 7/1.

Stephen Lee released a statement via a spokesperson saying he was working hard to try and qualify for the World Championships and wanted to stress he was happy to co-operate with Police in their enquiries. If you would like to bet on Stephen Lee becoming World Champion, bearing in mind he must qualify for the event, his odds are 150/1. If he managed this feat he would be the biggest outsider since Shaun Murphy won in 2005.

As a fan of Snooker I hope that Lee and all others named in alleged betting scandals are innocent. I also hope that however unpalatable the Police get to the truth and quickly. It will not stop me thoroughly enjoying the Snooker action when the World Championships start in the Crucible in April 2010 and I hope you get involved with all of the fun betting action also.

By Malcolm Clarke