In December 2008, professional snooker players Jamie Burnett (ranked 40) and Stephen Maguire (ranked two) were suspected of match fixing. The incident happened during the 2008 UK Championship when a lot of bookmakers noticed heavy bets being placed on a 9-3 win for Maguire. New accounts betting on 9-3 were opened in Glasgow very far ahead of the match and bookies started getting suspicious. At first, odds were lowered but when that didn’t help, betting was completely suspended.

Investigators are especially concerned about the crucial black ball that Burnett completely missed. But both players knew what was going on before the match was played and claimed that it might have affected them to create a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. 

Hard punishments are usually given to match fixers. Australian player Quinten Hann was found guilty of match fixing a few years ago after having intentionally lost a match against Ken Doherty in China Open. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association banned Hann for eight years thus possibly ending his career.

Several months after the incident involving Burnett and Maguire, investigations have been taken up again. Hour long police inquirings have recently been held and the players still deny any wrongdoing.

There’s no question that this is a tough case. Involvement in fixed snooker matches can be extremely hard to prove. In the case of Quinten Hann, the accused was set up by undercover journalists that made him confess, something that is quite unlikely to happen again.

Both Maguire and Burnett make a living from snooker, from match winnings as well as sponsorship, and being found guilty of the above would probably be the end of their career.

Investigators work with video tapes of the match to determine if it can be used as evidence. Especially Burnett’s miss on the black ball that cost him the match is being thoroughly examined. It can’t be easy to form an opinion as hundreds of similar misses are made on the professional tour every year. Snooker is a sport where you have to be 100 percent focused throughout the entire match. Any player can lose concentration and miss an easy ball.

If a snooker player was to be found guilty of this incredibly unsportsmanlike behavior, a lifetime ban might only sound fair, but then investigators would have to be absolutely certain beyond a reasonable doubt that he is in fact guilty.