Donaghy Gets 15 Months in Gambling Rap

Bill Spooner Says It Questioned His Integrity

(NEWSER) - Another first in the world of digital-age lawsuits. An NBA referee is suing an AP sportswriter over what he calls a "derogatory" tweet issued during a game, reports Wired . The fuss began when Minnesota coach Kurt Rambis complained to referee Bill Spooner about what he thought was a lousy call. Later in the game, sportswriter John Krawczysnki tweeted this: "Ref Bill Spooner told Rambis he'd 'get it back' after a bad call. Then he made an even worse call on Rockets. That's NBA officiating folks." More»

Kenny McKinley owed loads to casino

(NEWSER) - Kenny McKinley had a gambling problem and deep debts as a result when he took his own life in September, investigators looking into the wide receiver’s death discovered. One fellow Bronco, backup quarterback Tom Brandstater, told investigators he’d lent McKinley $65,000 to pay down $40,000 he owed a Las Vegas casino. Investigators also found that McKinley had mentioned suicide to three of his teammates, including Brandstater. McKinley was also worried about child support for his toddler son and a separate paternity suit. More»

Judge orders gambling addict to play to pay off his victims

(NEWSER) - A New Mexico stockbroker who confessed to stealing money from his clients so he could gamble has been ordered to… continue gambling. Samuel McMaster allegedly stole $400,000 from his elderly victims, but a judge has allowed him to go free, provided he can win it all back in poker tournaments. More»

A near miss gives that winning feeling, study finds

(NEWSER) - Scientists have unlocked a key to obsessive gambling—the lure of the near miss. In search of the reason gamblers keep playing even after strings of horrible losses, Cambridge University researchers examined the brains of gamblers. They found that a near miss—putting a bet on a horse that finished second, for example—stimulates areas of the brain nearly identical to those that respond to winning. More»

(NEWSER) - The NBA ref imprisoned for betting on games will finish his 15-month sentence in a halfway house, the Tampa Tribune reports; he’ll be released Wednesday. A press release from a “prisoner advocacy group” said Donaghy is being sprung early because he “was injured during an assault in November of 2008. During the assault, another inmate claiming ties to the New York mob beat Donaghy with a heavy object.” More»