Yu, the world number 52, has been banned for 10 years and nine months after an inquiry by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) discovered he was involved in match-fixing on five occasions in five tournaments over a two-and-a-half  year period.

The 31-year-old, like English player Stephen Lee - the former world number six - faced a 12-year ban, but this was reduced to 10 years after he made a late guilty plea.

A suspension of eight years was initially considered for Cao, who was found to have fixed three different matches in 2016, including one at the prestigious UK Championship, but he was given credit for his plea of guilty and it was reduced to six.

Of that period he will serve a suspension of two-and-a-half-years unconditionally.

The remaining three-and-a-half years shall be suspended provided there is compliance with the written terms agreed between Cao and the WPBSA to provide significant assistance to the governing body in its anti-corruption work.

"It is very sad when talented players are attracted to the opportunity to make money from fixing matches," Jason Ferguson, chairman of the WPBSA, said.

"The WPBSA has very effective prevention and monitoring processes that protect the sport.

"Where players ignore this, they risk their careers and they will be caught.

"Cao Yupeng has shown true remorse and he will assist the WPBSA in player education and in its fight against corruption, which is reflected in his reduced sanction.

"The sanctions handed down to these players by the independent tribunal reflect how seriously the WPBSA treats such cases.

"This was a lengthy and difficult inquiry for which the tribunal commended the WPBSA for its skill and professionalism in the investigation and presentation of the case."

At hearings that took place on September 21 and November 2 before a three-person independent tribunal chaired by David Casement, Cao and Yu admitted breaches of the WPBSA Members Rules.

This followed a lengthy investigation by the WPBSA Integrity Unit working with Sportradar Integrity Services and with support from the Sports Betting Intelligence Unit at the UK Gambling Commission.

"In the case of Yu Delu, the tribunal found that he engaged in deliberate and premeditated corruption to secure substantial financial gain for his friends/associates and himself," a WPBSA statement reads.

"He was involved in match-fixing on five occasions in five tournaments and his activity covers a period of two-and-a-half years, and he did this for substantial reward.

"He also admitted lying to the investigator, failing to cooperate with the investigation and betting on snooker when prohibited from doing so.

"The finding of the tribunal was that the starting point for Mr Delu was a suspension of 12 years.

"He was given credit for his plea of guilty, albeit late in the proceedings, and the actual sanction imposed was a suspension of 10 years and nine months to run from May 25, 2018.

"He was also ordered to pay £20,823.80 ($26,484.63/€23,391.69) towards the WPBSA costs."

In the case of Cao, he admitted to fixing the outcome of three matches in 2016 and failing to fully cooperate with the WPBSA inquiry.

"The finding of the tribunal was that the starting point for Mr Yupeng was a suspension of eight years," the WPBSA statement read.

"He was given credit for his plea of guilty which reduced the suspension to six years.

"Of that period he will serve a suspension of two and a half years unconditionally.

"The remaining three-and-a-half years shall be suspended provided there is compliance with the written terms agreed between Mr Yupeng and the WPBSA to provide significant assistance to the WPBSA in its anti-corruption work.

"Provided Mr Yupeng complies with his written agreement with the WPBSA, his suspension will run from May 25, 2018 until November 24, 2020.

"He was ordered to pay £15,558 ($19,786/€17,475) towards the WPBSA costs."

The full findings of the independent tribunal are due to be released shortly.

Both players have 28 days to appeal the decision of the tribunal.

The full decision on Yu can be found here, while that on Cao can be accessed here.