 The Professional Billiard Players Association (PBSA) was founded in 1946, and, after some years of inactivity, was revived in 1968 and renamed the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association in 1970.It owns a 26% share of World Snooker, which organises the professional Snooker ranking circuit events.It also supports World Women's Snooker and World Disability Billiards and Snooker, and English billiards through World Billiards

According to its financial statements for the year ending 30 June 2019, the principal activities of the WPBSA are "the governance of professional snooker and billiards through the regulation and application of the rules of the association, the development of snooker and billiards as a sport and the sanctioning of the Professional Snooker Tour".