Barry Hearn says snooker players are well aware they risk their careers if they mix with 'villains' looking to corrupt the sport.
Snooker boss warns players punishment will be 'draconian'
Barry Hearn says snooker players are well aware they risk their careers if they mix with 'villains' looking to corrupt the sport.
The World Snooker chief has threatened players with life bans for anyone who breaks betting rules ahead of the Betfred.com World Championship, which begins on April 16.
Hearn insists 'draconian measures' must be taken to stamp out a repeat of last year's frame-fixing scandal, when John Higgins was caught following a newspaper 'sting'.
The Scot was found not guilty but was banned for six months for giving the impression he would be prepared to throw frames.
But the Matchroom promoter believes the sport has benefited from that case - in terms of methods of self-policing, thanks to the publicity it brought.
"The great thing in our world is we have to understand the villains are always smarter than us," Hearn said.
"We have to work harder because those villains are smart people now, this is organised.
Stunts
"The players know there are lifetime bans - don't mess with us, because you're out. It doesn't matter what your name is or who you are - you're out.
"You've got to educate the people involved to make sure they know what's at risk, the types of stunts that people can pull, the type of villains that are out there.
"Once you've educated them, the other side is punishment. The punishment has to be draconian, it has to be absolutely brutal.
"They've got to understand, if you decide to go down the wrong path, then everything you value in your life sporting-wise has to be taken away from you."
Hearn admitted at the time of the initial newspaper 'sting' that the situation did not look good for Higgins, but he has accepted him back and insists the Scot can still be an ambassador for the sport.
"They're all ambassadors," Hearn said. "They've all got a responsibility but some of those players sometimes don't take their responsibility seriously and, if they don't, well the flag is dropped and a new flag-bearer picks it up. This is the nature of sport."
