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Sir Rodney Walker has admitted that the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association risks losing sponsors if it continues to be linked with suspicious betting patterns. The chairman of the sport's governing body was speaking after the Gambling Commission opened an investigation into a match involving the former world champion Peter Ebdon, a WPBSA board member, as revealed by the Guardian's website and its sister paper, the Observer.

Suspicious betting patterns before Ebdon's 5-0 defeat on August 26 to the world No40 Liang Wenbo led the commission to open its second inquiry into the sport in seven months. The other arose after bookmakers raised similar concerns with the commission over a match in the Malta Cup in February. Ebdon, after being informed of heavy betting on his match against Liang, said in a post-match interview: "It's not something that interests me. I go out there to do my best."

Last month Saga insurance and 888.com invoked early-cancellation clauses in their respective sponsorships of the Masters and the world championship, the sport's two biggest tournaments. The WPBSA said the sponsors had pulled out because of the difficult economic climate but the recent suspicious betting patterns cannot have helped.

In an effort to reassure sponsors Walker will see what lessons can be learned from the anti-corruption review completed by tennis in January. "If there's information available that is interesting from another sport I'd be more than happy to have a look, particularly as we are looking for two new sponsors. In this very difficult marketplace no one would get involved if they considered the product damaged in any way," he said.

After its review tennis has set up a dedicated integrity unit, a computer database to analyse betting patterns, and forces players and their associates to give access to telephone records. There are also potential life bans for cheats. By contrast, snooker's anti-corruption regulations, detailed under "general obligations of members", seem flimsy. They state that "each player must perform to the best of his ability"; that "a player shall not bet or lay bets on the result score or any other aspect in any match in which he plays or cause any such bet to be laid on his behalf"; and that "a player shall not directly or indirectly solicit or accept any payment ... in exchange for influencing the outcome of any game."

Players must also now report any approach to influence matches to the WPBSA, but that is about it. "We don't believe we have a major problem but we are forever vigilant," said Walker.

The tennis anti-corruption review states: "Unlike tennis, which is principally an individual sport, team games are not so easy to corrupt although none is entirely immune from cheating at betting." Clearly the same threats apply to snooker, another "individual sport". However, the WPBSA failed to conclude an information-sharing agreement with Betfair in 2004 despite opening a dialogue. Instead the ruling body has been content with an agreement with the Association of British Bookmakers, but it is only through Betfair - which unlike the high-street bookies can identify every account-holder - that a proper audit trail can be followed.

Dialogue with Betfair was reopened in May after the Guardian contacted Walker about the image problem his sport faces. The chairman says he expects the WPBSA to sign its memorandum of understanding with Betfair in the coming days.

(Source: Guardian.co.uk)