Million Pound Pros – Six of Snooker’s Finest in Figures
Snooker enjoyed massive popularity during the 1980s. Its boiling point was 1985 when the BBC spent an estimated £3 million producing 90 hours of World Championship coverage. The broadcaster was repaid in spades when the most famous snooker match of all time went down to the final ball after almost 15 hours of play.
Judd Trump is closing in on £10 million in career earnings. © Getty Images
The decider, ultimately won by Dennis Taylor, finished in the early hours of Monday morning (April 29th). 18.5 million people watched. The figure remains a post-midnight record audience for any British television channel. Despite the euphoria, Talyor earned just £60,000 for his victory.
Prize money for Snooker’s Blue Riband event slowly rose; £105,000 was the winner’s prize by the end of the 1980s. 2000s winner, Mark Williams collected £240,000 but, a decade later, 2010s victor, Neil Robertson, earned only £10,000 more. In 2019, Betfred Casino and Sportsbook, acting as sponsor, upped the prize to £500,000, which has remained constant since.
The Good, Great, and Wealthy of the Snooker Set
With Snooker’s showpiece event offering a purse that only matches the world’s highest-paid soccer players’ weekly wage, becoming obscenely wealthy in the sport is no easy task. Nevertheless, Snooker does have its share of millionaire players. Join us as we look at six of the richest and highest-earning Snooker players of all time.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Born in 1975, Ronnie O’Sullivan holds the record for the most prize money won in Snooker. During a professional career that started in 1992, the Essex cue-man has banked £14.5 million. Seven World Championships and an additional 34 ranking tournament victories mean the Essex star is considered the greatest player of all time.
Not renowned for working the exhibition circuit, O’Sullivan is a regular pundit for Eurosport. Sponsorship deals and ventures related to his career in Snooker – most recently an ambassadorial agreement with Saudi Arabia that has seen a ‘Ronnie O’Sullivan Snooker Academy open in Riyadh – means experts believe his current personal worth is £20 million.
Steve Davis
Davis rode the crest of a wave during the Halcyon days of Snooker. Six times a World Championship winner – with all titles won during the 1980s – ‘The Nugget’ also won the UK Championship six times and The Masters on three occasions. By the end of his long career, his earnings totalled £5.6 million.
However, Davis was a household name during the sport’s golden period, meaning public appearances were highly paid. A series of books, TV commercials, endorsements, product lines, even an appearance at the final table of the Ladbrokes Casino ‘Poker Million’ poker tournament, along with directorship of Barry Hearn’s Matchroom Sport means Davis has doubtlessly earned considerably more away from the table than on it.
Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor were presented with a new TV after 18.5 million people tuned-in to BBC 2 in the early hours of Monday morning to watch the final frame of their 14-hour 50-minute #WorldSnookerChampionship match. pic.twitter.com/dlhWlt7Rjh
— Sports & Betting History by BestBettingSites (@CDCHistory) April 28, 2018
Stephen Hendry
Whereas the 1980s belonged to Steve Davis, the 1990s were ruled by Stephen Hendry. The Scotsman won the World Championship seven times in the decade. During a relatively short career – he retired aged 43 – Hendry won The Masters six times and the UK Championship five times. Resultingly, £8.8 million was banked in prize money.
There was a short return to action with an invitational tour card in 2020, but he only played 20 matches over four years and won just three. Hendry once mentioned receiving a Ferrari and a Bentley as part of his sponsorship deals. However, his fortune would have taken a hit following a much-publicised divorce, and in the 2010s, there were press reports of ‘financial struggles’.
John Higgins
A famous ‘Class of 92‘ club member, John Higgins has won a healthy six-figure sum every year since the 1993/94 season. Still a top-16 ranked player, ‘The Wizard of Wishaw’ has banked £10 million during his career, which has yielded four World Championship titles and an additional five Triple Crown events.
Mark Williams
Fellow ‘Class of 92’ member Mark Williams has won three World Championships and an additional 23 ranking tournaments. His most successful season was 2002-03 when he won the Triple Crown: the UK Championship, The Masters and World Champs. In doing so, he became only the third player, after Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry, to win all three Triple Crown events.
2006-2009 were dire seasons for the Welshman. However, his lifetime earnings should exceed £8 million during the 2024-25 season, and, rarely seen without donning a sponsor logo, he has probably banked considerably more.
Judd Trump
When O’Sullivan, Williams and Higgins were turning professional, Judd Trump was turning 3! However, the Bristolian, now 35, has already surpassed Mark Williams’ career earnings with £8.6 million amassed during a 19-year career.
In the 2018-19 season, he completed his Triple Crown – having landed the UK Championship in 2011 – by winning both The Masters and World Championship. Taking an additional two other ranking events, he became the first player to win over £1 million in prize money in a single season. Every year since, Trump has banked a minimum of £500,000 in winnings.
Judd Trump's 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣th century! 🙌#UnibetBritishOpen @Unibet @juddtrump pic.twitter.com/Kbp8FpRiUv
— WST (@WeAreWST) September 27, 2024
Underlining Trump’s ability is his tally of 100-plus breaks. In September 2024, he registered his 1,000th century break. O’Sullivan, 13 years his senior, has recorded shy of 1,300. John Higgins breached 1,000 in October 2024, and Mark Williams is only slowly closing in on 700 century breaks.
Trump Could Double-up as Snooker Doubles Down
With Snooker’s popularity in China continuing to grow, plus new and hugely valuable tournaments cropping up in cash-rich Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia, the prize money in the sport is set to grow significantly in the coming decade.
The earning power of snooker players away from the table is not what it once was. There have been appearances on the BBC’s ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’ for Steve Davis and Jimmy White during the past decade. But, in the halcyon days of Snooker, the top players were treated with ‘rock star’ status and earned accordingly.
Judd Trump is nearing £10 million in earnings and could easily breach the milestone during the 2025/26 season. One top pro recently told this column of his belief that when the 2019 World Champion retires from the sport, he will have registered £20 million in banked winnings and have 2,000-plus century breaks to his credit.
