World Snooker confirmed Friday it has removed Graeme Dott from its Hall of Fame following the 49-year-old's conviction on two counts of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour toward a girl and a boy. The governing body issued a brief statement acknowledging the criminal verdict and the deletion of Dott's induction. No ceremony. No appeal window mentioned.
Dott won the world championship in 2006, defeating Peter Ebdon 18-14 in a final that stretched past midnight. He earned roughly £200,000 that night and entered the Hall of Fame in 2023 alongside John Higgins and Mark Williams in a ceremony at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre. His playing record includes three ranking titles and career prize money exceeding £3.2 million. The conviction, handed down in a Scottish court, carries no specified sentence detail in the governing body's announcement, though similar offences in Scotland typically result in community orders or custodial terms under 12 months.
The removal creates immediate problems for World Snooker's broadcast and sponsor relationships. Matchroom Sport, which co-promotes the tour with the World Snooker Tour, has scrubbed Dott's image from Hall of Fame promotional materials used in Sky Sports and Eurosport packages. The sport's largest sponsor, Cazoo, exited in 2023 after paying roughly £3 million annually, and the current roster of backers—led by car manufacturer BYD and betting operator Mansion—includes morality clauses in their agreements. BYD's three-year deal, signed in 2024 and valued near £2 million per season, includes specific termination language around convicted individuals appearing in tour-sanctioned content. The Hall of Fame, though largely ceremonial, appears in arena branding, broadcast opens, and the governing body's annual report sent to commercial partners.
World Snooker has no formal conduct policy for Hall of Fame inductees, a gap now visible. The institution honours career achievement and does not require active player status or ongoing moral review. Dott's removal relied on discretionary authority exercised by World Snooker chairman Steve Dawson, who joined the board in 2021 after a career in sports marketing. No vote. No tribunal. The precedent is narrow: the sport has never removed a Hall of Fame member before, and the decision offers no template for hypothetical future cases involving retired players facing lesser charges or civil judgments.
The timing matters because World Snooker is finalising its 2025 broadcast tender. Sky Sports' current deal expires in December 2025, and the governing body has engaged IMG to run a competitive process expected to attract interest from DAZN, TNT Sports, and potentially Amazon. Bidders will ask for clarity on brand-safety protocols, and the Dott incident—managed quietly, without drawn-out litigation—gives negotiators a recent example of swift action. That credibility is worth something in a pitch deck.
Dott has not issued a public statement since the conviction. His last competitive match occurred in March 2024, a first-round loss at the Gibraltar Open. He retains his tour card through 2025 under the two-year ranking list, though his playing schedule has been sparse since 2022. The sport's disciplinary committee has not announced further sanctions beyond the Hall of Fame removal, and no suspension from tour events has been confirmed. His ranking currently sits at 78, outside the top 64 cutoff for automatic entry into most tournaments.
Watch for potential sponsor commentary when World Snooker releases its Q2 2025 commercial review, typically published in late April. BYD's UK division has a brand-protection team that reviews all partner incidents within 30 days, and their internal memo will likely inform other Chinese sponsors sizing snooker deals. The broadcast tender also bears watching: if Sky Sports or a rival extracts tighter conduct clauses in the next contract, the Dott precedent becomes the reference point. The sport's next Hall of Fame induction is scheduled for April 2026 at the World Championship. The application review now includes a criminal-record check.
Dott's barrister did not respond to requests for comment, and the Scottish court has sealed certain case files under child-protection statutes. World Snooker's statement contained 83 words.
The takeaway
World Snooker's first-ever Hall of Fame removal lands during a broadcast tender, giving bidders a recent test case for the sport's brand-safety execution.
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