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(Legal) sports betting may become immensely popular as more states allow it, but there continues to be a subset of individuals who shouldn’t partake in the addicting pastime. You know, like those employed by professional teams and directly impact scores.
However, some people still get caught up, with the latest being Kayshon Boutte.
The New England Patriots wide receiver has been arrested in Louisiana for sports gambling violations, with Louisiana State Police accusing him of one felony count of computer fraud and one misdemeanor count of gaming prohibited for persons under 21.
This wasn’t a case of Boutte just hopping on the FanDuel website to dabble; he went full throttle. An investigation reveals that between April 6, 2022, and May 7, 2023, Boutte placed 8,900 bets.
Not only is that a lot of bets, but 17 of them were allegedly placed on NCAA football games, and at least six of them were on LSU football games- while he was a member of the team.
For what it’s worth, he was a pretty savvy gambler, having made more than $550,000 with an initial deposit of just over $130,000, including some bets he placed on his own performance.
He didn’t even try to hide his gambling accounts with incognito usernames and, according to an affidavit, instead opted for more obvious options like “kayshonboutte7” and “kayshonboutte01.”
Boutte’s punishment may be even worse because after leaving LSU, he was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round. The draft took place April 29, 2023, which means the league may also take disciplinary actions against him.
In a statement, LSU says it was made aware of the allegations in Summer 2023 that an unnamed former student had engaged in gambling and was fully compliant in the investigation that followed.
“Since then, we have fully cooperated with all relevant authorities involved in the investigation and will continue to do so. We have no evidence that any other student-athletes participated in these prohibited activities, and we are grateful for measures that detect and discourage sports gambling-related misconduct,” the statement read.
Neither the NFL nor a representative for Boutte has responded to the allegations, but he has since been released on a $6,000 bond from the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.
Social media is roasting Boutte’s gambling habits. See the reactions below.
