Xinhua/Reuters  Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy (C) leaves Brooklyn federal court after his sentencing in New York July 29, 2008.

Former U.S. basketball referee Tim Donaghy was jailed for 15 months on Tuesday for taking payoffs from a professional gambler for inside tips on games.

Donaghy, 41, an NBA official for 13 seasons, pleaded guilty in a Brooklyn court in August to conspiracy to defraud the NBA and to transmitting gambling information across state lines in a scandal that sparked league reforms.

"I'm very sorry ... I brought shame on myself, my family, and to the profession that I love," he told the court.

Donaghy had admitted taking cash payoffs from gamblers in exchange for inside information, such as the physical condition of certain players and which referees would officiate games.

Judge Carol Amon, who also ordered Donaghy to undergo mental health counselling, said of the referee's compulsive gambling disorder that "although it contributed to his criminal conduct, it does not excuse it.

"Many people relied on him to faithfully perform that job," she told the court.

Prosecutors said Donaghy received up to 5,000 dollars for each prediction that turned out to be correct and that he had accepted money at least three times.

Donaghy resigned from the league last year during an FBI investigation into his gambling activities.

(Agencies via Xinhua News Agency July 30, 2008)