The District Court has jailed a jobless man 21 months for conspiracy to offer advantages to a jockey in a tips-for-bets scam.

In sentencing, Deputy Judge Bina Chainrai said the defendant had undermined the integrity of racing and public confidence in it. A jail sentence must be imposed to give significant deterrent effect, he added.

Fung Hok-cheung, 47, was earlier found guilty of one count of conspiracy to offer advantages to an agent.

The case arose from a corruption complaint. Last June, an Independent Commission Against Corruption undercover officer, posing as a punter, became acquainted with Fung.

Fung said Christopher Munce, then a Jockey Club retained jockey, would offer the undercover officer racing tips. In return, the undercover officer would place bets for Munce on those horses the jockey recommended. If the tips materialised, the undercover officer had to pay Munce the dividends less the costs. If Munce lost in the races, the undercover officer would absorb the losses.

Fung told the undercover officer on June 25 and July 2 last year that Munce's mounts had a chance to win in the two race meetings and asked the undercover officer to place $150,000 bets in each race.

Munce's mounts lost in the first race but won in the second, with total dividends amounting to $1,013,600. After the race, Fung told the undercover officer the amount payable to Munce was $863,600.

The following day in a Tsim Sha Tsui restaurant, the undercover officer handed Fung $150,000 in cash as part of the dividends won, and agreed to give the remaining balance to the defendant later that day. Fung was arrested after the meeting.