During the COVID-19 lockdown, online sports betting gained popularity among the gamblers because all the land-based casinos and betting hubs were temporarily shut down. The market size of global casinos has reached an estimate of $231 billion in the US. It is expected to increase further in the coming years.
Snooker is one of the UK’s oldest and most high-status sports betting events. Snooker is one of the few sports that is played all year round. It’s almost become a global phenomenon. A new breed of snooker champions is emerging worldwide, especially in Australia, New Zealand, and China.
Many snooker tournaments take place throughout the year, and the ‘Triple Crown‘ is the three exclusive snooker championships that take place in the UK for only the top players from across the world. Additionally, there are many other top-ranking tournaments in Australia, China, and Wales.
Let’s discuss the top snooker ranking championships that bettors should look out for in the coming year:
Snooker Origin
Before we get into snooker online gambling and snooker championships in 2022, let’s take a closer view of the history of snooker and betting.
The snooker game was brought into the spotlight by an English broadcaster and historian, David Attenborough. Attenborough was appointed as the documentary maker of BBC 2 in 1965.
Four years after the process of motion color production appeared, Attenborough, along with Bryan Cowgill, a British television executive, realized that snooker game is the perfect sport for BBC to use color production. Soon after, in the summer of 1969, the BBC sports program was launched, and snooker rose to fame in the UK.
One of the pioneering snooker champions, Ray Reardon ‘Dracula’ became famous after winning Snooker World Championship. The people of the UK were captivated by the game. The growing attention led online sportsbook betting sites to offer risk-free bonuses and incentives for snooker enthusiasts and bettors to invest on their site.
Snooker Season
Professional snooker championships such as the World championship last a year and end by mid-May.
A total of 128 players take part in the snooker season. These players qualify based on their past performances and records from the previous two seasons. There are 17 ‘ranking’ championship tournaments. The first ranking championship tournament begins in Riga in July every year.
The busiest months of the year for snooker players are October to March. The World Championship commences in early April which goes on for one month. The World Championship is the most prestigious tournament where only the big names appear. Out of 128 players, only 16 qualify for the World Championship. It is also one of the most famous snooker betting tournaments.
The majority of snooker championships are played in one-on-one knockout contests.
Snooker Betting
There are currently more than 40 official snooker tournaments that the bettors can wager online. Alongside World Championship, snooker bettors can bet on snooker almost every other week of the year. Because of the yearlong seasons and tournaments, snooker gamblers are never short of snooker events to bet on.
Some of the best online gambling sites for snooker available in the market are BetUS, BetOnline, MyBookie, and SportsBetting.ag. Here are the following betting markets available:
1×2 Betting
1×2 snooker betting market requires bettors to pick their favorite player from a one-on-one single knockout series match. This type of market doesn’t bring much betting value to the bettor if they’re betting against a world champion versus a no-hoper.
1×2 betting match never ends in a draw, so you don’t have to worry about it.
Snooker Frame Handicap Betting
Like rugby union, snooker frame handicap betting also involves a single frame to 35 frames.
For instance, if Ronnie O’Sullivan competed against Mark Selby, and Selby had a +1.6 handicap, Selby is likely to lose 7-8 in the match without you losing your bet. How? He scored by simply adding the 1.8 frame scores to the 8 previous frames. Selby’s total score will be more than Ronnie’s score.
If you believe that an underdog is likely to win during a tournament, the handicap betting market is the best option.
Snooker Total Frames Betting
The total frames market is simply adding up the scores of the frames scored by your favorite and the underdog. The betting line is formed, and bettors can either bet under or over the total number of frames.
Total frames are the easiest and most common type of betting market. Most pro bettors prefer total frame betting for competitive tournaments such as the World Championship and the Masters.
2022 Masters
2022 BetVictor German Masters, commonly known as Snooker Masters, takes place at the beginning of every year. 2022 Masters is only a few weeks away and is taking place from 26th to 30th January 2022. Tempodrom, Berlin, will host the Masters’ tournament.
2022 Snooker Masters is among the top 10 snooker ranking events, and the 2022 tournament will be the 16th edition since it first took place in 1995.
The prize fund for this tournament will be £400,000, and £80,000 will be given to the winner.
Top Players to Lookout For
Judd Trump will be the defending champion this Snooker masters 2022. Trump competed against Jack Lisowski and won the championship title. Three times Masters’ winner Mark Selby is another worthy player aiming to win the Triple Crown championship. Other top players among Ronnie O’Sullivan and Neil Robertson will be sprinting to victory.
2022 Snooker Shoot Out
2022 Snooker Shoot Out is another ranking snooker event that will begin on 20th January and end on 23rd January 2022 in Morningside Arena, Leicester. The total prize money for Snooker Shoot Out is £171,000, and the tournament winner gets £50,000.
Snooker Shootout is a famous snooker game with a unique set of rules. The event was established in 1990 and has since become one of the most famous ranking events.
Top Players to Lookout For
Snooker Shoot-Out 2022 will have 123 qualifying players, and each player will be required to win seven series of matches to win.
World-renowned snooker champions are expected to play. However, O’Sullivan, Neil Robertson, and Judd Trump will be sitting out in 2022.
This will provide a better chance of winning for other players such as Michael Holt, Ryan Day, and Anthony McGill. Top female snooker champions Rebecca Evans and Reanne Evans are also invited to the Snooker Shoot Out 2022.
2022 Welsh Open
The 2022 BetVictor Welsh Open will take place from 28th February to 6th March 2022 at ICC Wales. The prize money for the event is £405,000, and the winner gets £70,000.
The Welsh Open Snooker tournament is one of the longest-ranking events established in 1992. The event invites over 128 players from across the world. The winner takes home the famous Ray Reardon Trophy.
Top Players to Lookout For
Snooker’s top champions will be expected to compete in the 2022 Welsh Open. Among previous season’s winners, Jordan Brown, other greatest names Ronnie O’Sullivan, Neil Robert, John Higgins, and Shaun Murphy will be competing to win the trophy.
Last season, Brown shocked many fans and betting enthusiasts by beating O’Sullivan by 9-8 and is expected to battle in 2022. Brown, among other players, Stuart Bingham and Barry Hawkins are some worthy players to look out for.
2022 European Masters
2022 European Masters is another top-ranking snooker event sponsored by BetVictor. The snooker tournament will take place from 22nd to 27th February 2022 in Stadthalle, Furth, Germany. The popular venue in Germany has hosted hundreds of world championships and welcomed snooker fans from all across the world.
The European Masters 2022 is an eight-event snooker series where the winner takes home over £150,000, including the prize money and the bonus.
Top Players to Lookout For
Last year European Masters 2021 was won by Mark Selby at 9-8, beating two times German Masters winner Martin Gould. Both Mark Selby and Martin Gould are two of the finest players in Snookers and are invited to play in European 2022.
Jack Lisowski, Kyren Wilson, John Higgins, and SunnyAkani are expected to play among other big names. Lisowskihas enjoyed a strong season in 2021 and is known for his consistency and quality throughout the big tournaments.
Sunny Akani is another emerging snooker champion who will bring his A-game this season and be a worthy opponent that online sports bettors should look out for.
2022 World Snooker Championship
2022 World Snooker Championship is the biggest snooker tournament that will take place from 16th April to 2nd May 2022 in Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England.
Top Players to Lookout For
World’s top snooker players such as Mark Selby and Judd Trump are expected to play in World Championship 2022.
Selby has had a strong form throughout the last season. Bettors have high expectations for him to win at the European Masters and Scottish Open. However, following the Welsh Open season 2021, his confidence took a hit when he lost to Jordan Brown. Nevertheless, he is expected to bring his A-game with some help from his coach. Chris Henry. World Championship tournament is Selby’s most anticipated game.
2019 World Snooker Champion Judd Trump will also be leading the betting world. Amidst the pandemic, Judd has had a very successful season in 2020 and 2021.
Trump has won three trophies recently; however, he has struggled to reign the World Championship after his high time in 2019. As betting enthusiasts and snooker fans put it, Trump seems to have the ‘Crucible Curse’ when it comes to Snooker World Championship. It will be particularly interesting to see him in the field this season.
Other players such as Mark Williams, John Higgins, and Gary Willson will be expected to play. Some emerging players, Chang Bingyu, Andy Hicks, and Jamie O’Neill, are worth keeping an eye on.
2022 Tour Championship
2022 Tour Championship is another ranking snooker tournament expected to take place from 28th March or 3rd April 2022, at Cymru, Wales. The Tour Championship is the third tournament of the Cazoo Cup.
The winner of the championship will be receiving £150,000. The tournament will be broadcast all across Europe by ITV4.
Top Players to Lookout For
The reigning champion of the 2021 Tour Championship was Neil Robertson, who beat Ronnie O’Sullivan by 10-4 in the finals series.
Top players such a Mark Allen and Stephen Maguire were unable to compete this year, and there are looking forward to the 2022 Tour Championship. Robertson, O’Sullivan, Mark Selby, and Stuart Bingham will be competing this season.
2022 World Grand Prix
2022 World Grand Prix is a high-level snooker tournament where only 32 big names in the snooker world qualify. Snooker World Grand Prix was established in 2015 and has since become one of the most prestigious snooker tournaments.
World Grand Prix will take place in December 2022 in Coventry Building Society Arena. The total prize money is up to £380,000, and the tournament winner will take £100,000.
Top Players to Lookout For
Ronnie O’Sullivan beat Neil Robertson in the finals for World Grand Prix 2021. O’Sullivan will be the defending champion of the Grand Prix 2022.
Judd Trump, Mark Selby, and Stephen Maguire will also be competing to qualify for the tournament.
Bettors must also be on the lookout for Kyren Wilson, Mark Williams, Yan Bingtao, and Luca Brecel, among other emerging players appearing for the tournament.
Are you looking for a legal and credible betting site in your region to bet on Snooker Championships in 2022? Check out Betting Sites Ranking‘s list of local gambling site reviews.
Our team of experts and professionals works alongside industry insiders from over 100 countries to provide a list of top betting sites, top daily bets, and the best betting apps. We also update our sports betting sites list every 45 days to keep our bettors informed.
In addition to that, you can also find out betting tips, point spreads, and predictions in our blog section. If you’re new to the betting world, check out our guides to get started!
