John Higgins has predicted a bleak future for snooker in Scotland.

The two-time world champion claims a lack of funding in the sport means there is no-one coming through behind the current crop of star names.

"It's going to be tough for snooker in Scotland," Higgins told BBC Scotland. "When the likes of myself, Graeme (Dott), Stephen Hendry and Stephen Maguire start winding down, there's not a lot of talent coming through. And that's a shame. Ever since Stephen Hendry came through in the late 1980s, snooker has been one of Scotland's best sports."

He added: "We've never received enough backing or government support. They have not really been recognising snooker as a sport and not putting any money back into the game.

"We've produced world champions, yet we don't get anything like the money put into things like tennis and cricket."

Higgins believes the sport needs to branch out beyond its traditional markets to survive.

That includes moving the World Championship from Sheffield's Crucible Theatre to the likes of China or Dubai, according to the 33-year-old.

"It's the best venue we'll probably ever play at but, if you have other countries that want the World Championship and are willing to throw so much more money at the sport, I think you've got to go," he said ahead of this year's event which starts at the weekend.

"I don't think we're a big enough sport to say we'll just sit still in Sheffield until our dying days.

"I'd say we should take snooker to other parts of the world to make it bigger and better."