Monthly Archives: July 2024

In summary

Californias rival gambling interests gave the 22 members of an obscure legislative committee more than $1 million in campaign donations. Did the cash infusion to this juice committee influence members votes?

Californias tribal casinos won a key vote on a gambling bill earlier this month after showering members of an obscure legislative committee with more than $1 million in campaign donations since the start of last year.

That included funneling $92,500 in campaign donations to key members of the committee in the weeks before the vote.

The tribes competitors, private card rooms, see the legislation as an existential threat both to their businesses and to city budgets across the state. But the card clubs lost the vote despite giving members of the committee nearly $393,000 in campaign donations over the past year and a half.

They did get support from the committees chairperson, who received the largest share of the card rooms cash.

Her opposition wasnt enough to kill the bill, which needed 12 of the 22 members of the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee to pass. In the end, Senate Bill 549 passed with 15 aye votes including two from legislators who unexpectedly broke with local governments in their districts, and one from a legislator who was temporarily placed on the committee to fill in for an absent member.

It is illegal for legislators to pledge a vote in response to a cash contribution. Members of the committee told CalMatters the influx of gambling money to their campaigns didnt influence their decisions.

But the fact that two influential interest groups showered committee members with so much money in the lead up to a key vote suggests spending big makes a big difference, and the public should assume it does, said Sean McMorris, the transparency, ethics and accountability program manager for California Common Cause.

No politician is ever going to tell you that money affects their vote, but the public isnt stupid, McMorris said. Its pretty darn suspicious that most of them voted based on where they got the most money from.

The vote also shows why the Governmental Organization Committee is known as a juice committee, which typically considers high-stakes legislation for businesses likely to try and influence the vote by donating to committee members. The committee has twice as many members as most legislative committees, and it provides the leaders who make committee assignments with a way to reward political allies.

Thats why theyre called juice committees, so you can squeeze the money out, said Stacy Fisher, a former political scientist who studied juice committees as a professor at University of Nevada, Reno.

For the lawmakers on the G.O. Committee, as its commonly called, there are few issues as juicy as this gambling dispute. The fight has become one of the most expensive political battles in California. Combined, the competing gambling interests have donated at least $1.4 million to the committees members since 2023.

Its been part of a years-long lobbying blitz. Last year, one card room alone, Hawaiian Gardens Casino, spent $9 million on lobbying the second most any group spent to influence state policy. Only the international oil giant Chevron spent more.

Meanwhile, both sides spent a combined $176 million on a failed, tribal-sponsored sports betting initiative in 2022 that included a provision that would have allowed the tribes to sue card rooms.

The tribes, however, outspent their rivals on the initiative three-to-one, nearly the same ratio they outspent the gambling halls in the months before the G.O. Committee voted to advance the measure.

The tribes and card rooms have been fighting ever since voters in 2000 approved an initiative that gave tribes the right to negotiate compacts with the state to host certain house-banked, Las Vegas-style gambling on their lands.

The tribes argue that the states 80 or so privately-owned gambling halls have been cutting into their exclusive gambling rights by illegally offering games such as blackjack, baccarat and pai gow poker. By doing so, the tribes contend, the card rooms have stolen hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue from historically disenfranchised tribal communities across California.

They want to sue the card rooms for allegedly breaking the law. But because the tribes are sovereign governments, California courts have found they lack the legal standing to take their business competitors to court. Senate Bill 549, authored by Fullerton Democrat Sen. Josh Newman and 20 bipartisan coauthors, would give tribes a brief window to file a case.

James Siva, chairperson of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, representing 52 tribal governments, framed the issue as a matter of legal and social justice for native peoples.

Noting that Gov. Gavin Newsom has acknowledged the past atrocities and issued a formal apology for the state sanctioned genocide of native people, Siva argued that passage of the bill would help California atone for the crimes purportrated against tribes. He said card rooms should also want a judge to settle the matter for good.

If card rooms are confident in the legality of the games they operate, they should welcome the chance to prove it in a court of law, he told the committee.

The card rooms say the measure and the lobbying push behind it from the states 70 tribal casinos is unfair. They say card rooms annual earnings are barely 10% of what tribal governments make. They argue that if the tribes are allowed to sue, the card clubs wouldnt be allowed to sue tribes back, and they could go out of business from the ensuing legal fees.

Card room lobbyist Ed Manning told the committee that the California Attorney Generals Office has permitted the disputed games for years. The tribes, he said, are merely looking to kill their competition.

This is sort of the equivalent of a local government giving a land-use permit to Starbucks, Manning told the committee. Starbucks opens up, operates, but the coffee shop down the street doesnt like it, and so they want to sue Starbucks instead of the city government that gave them the permit.

Learn more about legislators mentioned in this story.

Josh Newman

Democrat, State Senate, District 29 (Fullerton)

Evan Low

Democrat, State Assembly, District 26 (Cupertino)

Gregg Hart

Democrat, State Assembly, District 37 (Santa Barbara)

Blanca Rubio

Democrat, State Assembly, District 48 (West Covina)

Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer

Democrat, State Assembly, District 57 (Los Angeles)

Blanca Pacheco

Democrat, State Assembly, District 64 (Downey)

Laurie Davies

Republican, State Assembly, District 74 (Oceanside)

The card rooms also have allies in cities across the state whose budgets are tied to card room revenue, the largest being San Jose. The cities say that if the card rooms stop offering the disputed table games, it could force the municipalities to cut police, fire and other city services because their budgets are propped up by the taxes and fees that the card rooms pay local governments.

San Jose City Councilmember Sergio Jimenez told the committee that the city receives $30 million each year from card rooms, enough to fund 150 police officers or 133 firefighters.

This bill would inject uncertainty into city budgets across the state at a time when revenue levels and economic activity are just beginning to stabilize after the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

Card room lobbyists thought the July 2 vote by the G.O. Committee would be closer, but two members surprised them by voting with the tribes. One was Oceanside Republican Laurie Davies, whose Assembly district has a card room, Oceans Eleven Casino in Oceanside. Both the city and the card room oppose the bill.

Her campaign received $53,000 from tribal casinos and $12,000 from card rooms since January 2023. She didnt discuss her position at the hearing, and her office declined to comment.

The other surprise was from Assemblymember Evan Low, a Democrat from Cupertino. He voted to support the measure over the objections of San Jose, which is in his Assembly district.

Its pretty darn suspicious that most of them voted based on where they got the most money from.

Low is running for Congress and is leaving the Assembly at the end of the year. His campaigns received at least $18,100 from tribes and $12,000 from card rooms since January 2023.

Despite voting for the bill, Low told the committee he had concerns about the potential for the loss of revenue and also the loss of jobs. He urged the bills author to consider amending it and he suggested he might vote against it if the bill advances to the Assembly floor.

Lows spokesperson Eddie Kirby said the lawmaker explained his vote in the committee and that suggesting any other motive is not factual.

One other potential swing vote was absent from the committee vote.

Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, a Democrat from Los Angeles, was recovering from a knee surgery. He told CalMatters he wasnt sure how he would have voted, though he said he does have concerns about anyone using the courts to extinguish a business.

In his absence, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas subbed in Gregg Hart to temporarily take Jones-Sawyers seat. The Democrat from Santa Barbara voted to pass the measure. Hart has received $43,000 from tribes and no money from card rooms in the past year and half.

Rivas didnt respond to CalMatters request for comment. Hart told CalMatters that Rivas didnt make any mention of why he chose him, but he was glad to take the assignment to support tribes, including one in his district. Hart said the tribes members pulled themselves out of abject poverty thanks to their casino. He said they deserve their day in court.

I think this question about gaming is a legitimate question that needs to be resolved, he said.

Jones-Sawyer is leaving the Assembly at the end of the year, and he placed last during the March primary as he sought a seat on the Los Angeles City Council. His city council campaign received at least $9,000 in donations in near equal amounts from tribes and card rooms, according to donations reported to Los Angeles County elections officials. He has no card rooms or casinos in his Assembly district.

Jones-Sawyer has been on the G.O. Committee for much of his time in office, and he told CalMatters that both factions have donated to his Assembly campaigns over the years.

Its been very fortunate that theyve both been able to help me get back into the Assembly, and then having faith in me running for city council, he said.

Another Los Angeles County Democrat, Blanca Pacheco, who received $19,126 from card rooms and $43,500 from casinos, told the committee that given the importance of card rooms in her district, she had no choice but to side with them.

It is a very, very, very tough vote, and I feel for both sides, she told the committee. At some point, I would love to see both sides just come to the table, have more discussions, and hopefully everything can be worked out. But at the end of the day, I do have to vote my district.

Pacheco ended up not voting, which counts the same as voting no. Her office declined to make her available for an interview, but a spokesperson told CalMatters in an email that often, a decision not to cast a no vote is a courtesy to the author.

Another notable non-vote came from Assemblymember Blanca Rubio, the committees chairperson. Her campaign reported $27,500 in contributions from card rooms and affiliated groups in the three months leading to the vote, bumping her total donations from card rooms to $125,000 since January 2023. She also received $95,000 from tribal casinos.

Rubio, who doesnt have a card room or a tribal casino in her district, told the committee she couldnt recommend voting for the bill, given the harms the bill posed to communities that depend on the tax revenue from card rooms.

Her office declined to make her available for an interview, but in a written statement she said her position wasnt influenced by the card rooms cash.

During the last eight years in the Assembly, I have sat on over a dozen committees and voted on thousands of bills, she said. Campaign contributions have never been a consideration during any of those votes.

The bill will next be heard before the Assembly Appropriations Committee, another juice committee.

More:

Gambling interests gave $1M to California lawmakers. Did it influence their votes? - CalMatters

Citywide mobile sports betting returned to D.C. on Wednesday morning, more than 24 hours after FanDuel suspended online operations in the city as it waited for Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) to sign the citys fiscal-year 2025 budget, which reauthorized sports betting in the nations capital.

Bowser never actually signed the budget, returning it to the D.C. Council without her signature or veto and expressing concerns about certain tax and spending measures. But the move in essence allowed sports gambling to resume in the city.

FanDuel previously had been the lone company to offer citywide mobile sports betting in D.C., but a new law written into the 2025 budget opened the door to as many as six other companies. On Wednesday morning, Caesars began taking online bets throughout the city (mobile betting on that platform had been limited to gamblers who were within a two-block radius of Capital One Arena), and BetMGM did the same Wednesday afternoon.

The final sports betting licenses seem likely to be filled soon. DraftKings which is available in 25 states and led the nation in sports gambling market share for the second quarter of this year said June 25 that it was looking forward to the potential opportunity to introduce D.C. sports fans to our mobile sportsbook product.

On Tuesday, FanDuel posted a message on its app saying that it had paused online sports betting in D.C. The company told The Washington Post in a statement that it was waiting for final approval of the FY2025 DC Budget, which included a bill to expand the citys sports betting offerings. Intralot, the Greek company that operates the citys lottery, previously had subcontracted with FanDuel to be D.C.s lone citywide sports betting option after the failure of GambetDC, the citys original betting platform.

Moving forward, gambling companies that operate in D.C. will pay the city 20 percent of their gaming revenue, plus the costs of acquiring a license. Under the terms of its former agreement with Intralot, which has expired, FanDuel paid the city 40 percent of its gaming revenue as the lone company offering citywide mobile sports betting in D.C.

Plagued by technical glitches and lousy odds, GambetDC brought in just $4.3 million over a four-year period, well short of the $84 million that was projected. In April, Intralot announced it was shuttering GambetDC and turning the citys mobile sports gambling operation over to FanDuel, which also operates a brick-and-mortar sportsbook at Audi Field. In its first 30 days alone, FanDuel brought in $1.9 million to the city.

Continued here:

Online sports gambling is back in D.C. after one-day pause - The Washington Post

BOSTON, July 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --As the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) gathered for their annual conference in San Diego this week, the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI)a nonprofit research center for public health laws affiliated with Northeastern University School of Law released a new video to highlight the ethical and scientific failure of the "Responsible Gambling" model.

Under the direction of its president, Professor Richard Daynard, Executive Director Mark Gottlieb, and Director of Gambling Policy Dr. Harry Levant, PHAI is leading the efforts to replace the Responsible Gambling model with a comprehensive public health response to the unprecedented expansion of the gambling industry and online gambling.PHAI will be advocating for and advancing much-needed public health reform and regulation at both the federal and state levels.

The new video, which can be found on the PHAI website here, analyzes key flaws in the Responsible Gambling modelan approach favored by both the gambling industry, and the gambling-industry-funded NCPG.

In the video, Dr. Levant highlights the situation's urgency, stating "The expansion of online gambling without appropriate safeguards and regulation is an industry-driven 'wild west' environment, resulting in a looming public health crisis."

President Daynard echoed this statement by criticizing the current Responsible Gambling model: "The Responsible Gambling model puts the onus on the customer, rather than focusing on the irresponsible design and marketing decisions of the gambling industry."

Professor Gottlieb also emphasized the need for change. "The time has come to expose the failures of the Responsible Gambling model and move forward with a public health approach to regulation and reform," he said.

PHAI continues to establish itself as a critical voice for proper regulation and restraint as the gambling industry grows. In December 2023, PHAI's Center for Public Health Litigation filed a class action lawsuit against online gambling giant DraftKings, alleging false advertising related to DraftKings promotional offerings. The lawsuit made national headlines and was featured in such media as CBS News' 60 Minutes, CNN, and National Public Radio (NPR).

About The Public Health Advocacy Institute

The Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) is a non-profit legal research center focused on public health law located at Northeastern University School of Law. In 2014, PHAI formed the Center for Public Health Litigation, a nonprofit law firm, which uses the civil justice system to improve public health by focusing on litigation targeting tobacco industry products, unhealthy foods, deceptive health marketing, and deceptive gambling practices.

To learn more about PHAI, visitphai.org.

Primary Contact:

Public Health Advocacy Institute

617-373-2026

Dr. Harry Levant, [emailprotected]

Media Contact:

PRCGHaggerty LLC

(212) 683-8100

Sandra Prendergast, [emailprotected]

SOURCE Public Health Advocacy Institute

The rest is here:

Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) Calls for Overhaul of "Responsible Gambling" Model - PR Newswire

All underage gambling and fraud charges against Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte have been dropped by the state of Louisiana. (Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports)

The state of Louisiana has dropped the underage gambling and computer fraud charges against New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tuesday.

Boutte, a sixth-round pick in 2023, was arrested in January on suspicion of making numerous online sports bets while underage at LSU. Investigators for the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division found that Boutte made 8,927 individual sports bets starting on April 6, 2022, and ending on May 7, 2023 a week after he was drafted by the Patriots.

Boutte was 20 at the time, not old enough to legally gamble in Louisiana, and investigators believe he used an alias to fool the age requirement. Investigators also said that at least 17 bets were made on NCAA football games, with at least six of those involving LSU.

Shortly after Boutte's arrest, the NFL announced it would be launching its own investigation into Boutte's activities, since a small portion of it occurred after he was drafted (and therefore a Patriots employee). However, the NFL's rules on sports gambling allows players to bet on any sport besides the NFL. Since there were no NFL games happening when Boutte was drafted, he didn't bet on those while he was an employee.

While the dropped charges are likely a good sign for Boutte, as he's no longer facing any charges in the state of Louisiana, the NFL may find more to be concerned with. A league source told Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson in January that the NFL wasn't limiting its investigation to only the wagers Boutte placed in Louisiana, but that it would be investigating his conduct during his entire rookie year with the Patriots.

Continued here:

Underage gambling, fraud charges dropped against Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte in Louisiana - Yahoo Sports

Locks

No locks today.

NBA Summer League LA Lakers/Cleveland Cavaliers Over 178.5 (-110; Odds via Caesars): 8:00 PM CT on ESPN

It was a rough start in Summer League for Bronny James and his Lakers team as a result, with a couple lopsided losses where the offense looked lost. But things seemed to turn around a bit last night against the Hawks, and if any of that carries into today theyll have a decent night offensively. That will be made easier by this Cavaliers defense that has been torched for 94.3 PPG this week.

The Cavs are also on a back-to-back here after playing last night, so defenses for both teams might not be putting forth their best efforts. This is a total that early in the week wouldve definitely been in the 180s but lower scoring has depressed totals across the board. That puts it in a very reachable range that I think poor defense and improved offense can help to clear tonight.

NBA Summer League LA Clippers -4.5 vs Utah Jazz (-110; Odds via Fanduel): 8:00 PM CT on NBA TV

What Ive seen out of the Clippers so far in Summer League has impressed me, and while this game will probably be their toughest test, I think theyre up to the challenge. With Cam Christie and RayJ Dennis, LA has a dynamic backcourt for this level of basketball, and that gives them a significant edge over just about any other team.

Its kept them very consistent over the course of this week, which is something that cant be said for Utah. The Jazz have been very inconsistent from long range, and could easily be 0-3 this week if a couple bounces hadnt gone their way. So Im going to roll with the team that has rolled all their competition so far, at a shorter number than whats been the typical margin this week.

Tiny Nick is 2381-2193 ATS (+88.7 Units) on his Locks since joining Zone Coverage.

Every day he will offer his Locks and Degenerate picks. Locks are the games hes confident in. Degenerates are entertaining but riskier picks.

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Tiny Nicks Gambling Picks: 07/18 - Zone Coverage

Macaus high stakes gambling or VIP gambling revenue declined by 7.4% in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the first quarter, according to data from the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ).

Casinos generated MOP13.31 billion ($1.66 billion) from VIP baccarat gambling between April and June, down from MOP14.37 billion ($1.8 billion) collected between January and March, Macau Business reported.

The recent figure remains significantly below pre-pandemic levels. In the second quarter of 2019, VIP gambling revenue reached MOP34.61 billion ($4.3 billion). However, on an annual basis, the April to June 2024 revenue marks a 9% increase compared to the same period in 2023, when VIP gambling brought in MOP12.2 billion ($1.5 billion).

For the first half of 2024, high-stakes gambling revenue totaled MOP27.69 billion ($3.4 billion), according to the DICJ. As the only place in China where casino gambling is legal, Macaus gambling industry is crucial to its economy.

During nearly three years of stringent COVID-19 restrictions, which ended in December 2022, Macau's six gaming operatorsMGM, Galaxy, Venetian, Melco, Wynn, and SJMsuffered significant losses. The government had to tap into its extraordinary reserve to manage the crisis, given the substantial portion of its revenue derived from gambling taxes.

According to a recent report, Macau is projected to generate MOP18.5 billion (US$2.3 billion) in gross gaming revenue this month, slightly below the initial forecast of MOP19 billion.

JP Morgan Securities Asia Pacific attributed this revision to aslower start to the month. In the first 14 days, the gaming sector recorded approximately MOP8.3 billion ($1 billion), averaging MOP593 million ($74 million) per day, JP Morgan analysts DS Kim, Mufan Shi, and Selina Li said in a recent note.Agradual improvement in casino revenues is anticipated now that the UEFA European Championship has concluded.

Original post:

Macaus VIP gambling revenue drops 7.4% to $1.66 billion in Q2 2024 - Yogonet International

Locks

WNBA (0.5 Unit) Indiana Fever/Dallas Wings Over 177.5 (-110; Odds via Caesars): 6:30 PM CT on ESPN

In a matchup of the two most generous defenses in the league, theres really no other option but to look to the over. These offenses are capable enough to exploit those porous defenses, especially at the tempo both teams like to play. This is also the final game of the WNBA schedule before a month-long break for the All-Star game and Olympics, so I wouldnt expect defensive effort to be at a maximum with most players thinking about vacation plans. Yesterdays slate of four games went 4-0 to the over and I believe that was a factor, so look for minimal defense to send this game over the high total.

NBA Summer League Golden State Warriors -1.5 vs Cleveland Cavaliers (-110; Odds via Caesars): 9:00 PM CT on NBATV

The Warriors have shown that theyre taking Summer League seriously this year, notching two double-digit wins where theyve really looked good defensively. For Cleveland, they were blown out in their first game against a quality Orlando team, which is more the level of competition theyll see tonight.

Then the Cavs ran out a Bucks squad that everyone in Vegas is beating up on, so I dont put much stock in that. So at the end of the day this looks like a very cheap price to back a team that looks more engaged, especially defensively, against an opponent whos probably more of a pretender at this point.

Tiny Nick is 2380-2193 ATS (+88.3 Units) on his Locks since joining Zone Coverage.

Every day he will offer his Locks and Degenerate picks. Locks are the games hes confident in. Degenerates are entertaining but riskier picks.

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Tiny Nicks Gambling Picks: 07/17 - Zone Coverage

Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto lifted the lid on his 41-game suspension for violating the NHL's gambling rules.

"I had my buddies - because I was in Canada - just place bets for me in America," he explained during a recent appearance on the "Empty Netters" podcast. "I wasn't a Canadian citizen so I couldn't really use a Canadian sportsbook. ... That's proxy betting, so that's obviously a big no-no. It was an illegal act so, obviously, it was a pretty big deal.

"So that's why we didn't want to fight (the suspension) and we just kinda accepted it."

The league announced that Pinto would be banned for half the 2023-24 campaign in late October, marking the NHL's first betting-related ban in the world of online wagering. There was no evidence to suggest that Pinto bet on NHL games.

Pinto said he leaned on his family and teammates during his time on the sidelines and focused on his training while also staying away from social media.

The 23-year-old made his season debut in late January and chipped in with nine goals and 27 points in 41 outings, good for the highest point-per-game rate (0.66) of his career.

"I just did my best with the hand I got dealt with," Pinto said. "Obviously it was a little bit my fault, so I'm not gonna like, (ask for) pity over it. I thought I did a good job of responding from it."

He added: "I'm glad it's over, but I learned a lot from it. Thank god it's all behind me."

Pinto was limited to just five games in 2021-22 because of a shoulder injury, which he said was "tough," but acknowledged that his gambling suspension was "brutal."

"I let down the boys, that's just what it was," he said. "That was the worst part about it. ... We had a tough start (to the year) - not saying it was a big deal that I wasn't there - but, still, it was a big distraction. ... I never wanted to be like that towards the fellas."

Pinto was a restricted free agent this summer and the Senators signed him to a two-year extension with a $3.75-million cap hit in early July. The New York native represented the United States at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, where he totaled nine points in eight games.

Ottawa selected him with the first pick of the second round during the 2019 NHL Draft. Pinto has amassed 30 goals and 70 points in 140 career games.

Read the original:

Pinto says gambling suspension was result of proxy betting - theScore

When the Patriots first reported for practices in May, Jerod Mayo faced the inevitable questions about Kayshon Boutte's status, given, y' know, the whole illegal gambling thing:

Mayo handled the question like a seasoned veteran and not a rookie coach taking his first baby steps by deflecting it with a vague, non-committal, "We will wait to hear from the league going forward, but he's out here. He is doing a good job for us."

But still, until the Pats did "hear from the league going forward," this was going to remain an issue. The NFL is taking baby steps of its own with respect to doing business with sports betting companies. And having an active player in the league facing nearly 9,000 charges of breaking the law wasn't going to be good for business. Add to the Patriots concern was that Boutte is entering just his second season after a rookie year that didn't establish him as a hill worth dying on. Here's what I wrote back in January when the charges were first made public:

Despite the fact they trusted him enough to give him 45 snaps in Week 1, he twice failed to get his feet in bounds on sideline routes. Including on the Pats last play from scrimmage, that resulted in a turnover on downs instead of keeping a potential game-winning drive alive. The whole rest of the season he took a grand total of 40 snaps.

Still, Mayo and the rest of the Pats braintrust took the "Let's not rush to judgment" approach. And it appears to have been the right call:

Fox News - New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte is no longer expected to face charges related to underage gambling and computer fraud.

An attorney representing the NFL players told ESPN that the state of Louisiana has dropped the charges.

Boutte was taken into police custody in January after he was accused of placing multiple online sports wagers while he was underage. The majority of the alleged acts happened during Boutte's tenure with the LSU Tigers.

Louisiana law stipulates that an individual must be at least 21-years-old to legally gamble. Boutte was 20 during the time period that the alleged bets took place. Investigators previously asserted that Boutte likely used an alias when he engaged with the betting platforms.

Earlier this year, the NFL announced its intention to launch an independent probe into Boutte's alleged activities.

Investigators also claimed that several bets were made on college football games, including an estimated six games involving LSU.

Earlier this year, the NFL announced its intention to launch an independent probe into Boutte's alleged activities.

I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth here. I should be perfectly happy to just take the W and move on. But I can't help needing more explanation than this. I mean, it's a hell of thing to go from 8,900 criminal charges to zero with the snap of a finger. To go from the brink of having a career destroyed as soon at it's begun to "Let's move along, citizens" without a reason given just makes a bizarre situation all the more bizarrier.

Why did they drop the charges? Was the state of Louisiana wrong about the whole thing? Apparently so, because it's not like they're saying they counted wrong and he didn't place nearly as many underage bets as they thought. They dropped all 8,900 like they were the beans in Kevin's famous chili:

Giphy Images.

So forgive me if I'm looking for more than just an email to Boutte's agent and the NFLPA. I need closure on this anecdote.

More importantly, this restores my previously shattered hopes that the Patriots can still get some value out of this distressed asset. That maybe with the right coaching and some patience, Boutte can be some semblance of what he was projected to be early in his LSU career. Before he got injured. Then returned to find Brian Kelly in charge. And himself as a stranger in a strange land. Moved inside as a slot receiver. In a system he wasn't familiar with, his production cut to a fraction of what it was, and his potential Round 1 status pushed back to the 187th pick overall. With all the draft capital Eliot Wolf spend on wide receiver in this past draft, Boutte will probably have to make a colossal, Hulk-like Year 2 jump to secure a roster spot. But for now, let's be glad he'll get the chance instead of just ending up as a the future subject of a sports documentary.

Remember to gamble responsibly.

View post:

All 8,900 Charges of Illegal Gambling Against Kayshon Boutte Have Been Dropped, Making a Weird Story Even Weirder - Barstool Sports

Lawler added that while there was only a single violation report, there was more than one wager.

The NCAA determined the infraction to be a Level III violation, which is the most minor on the governing bodys enforcement scale.

The gambling infraction was one among five violations involving the football program included on UGA Athletics 2023-24 compliance summary. Others included impermissible promotional activity, impermissible coaching activity and impermissible telephone communication.

In all, the school reported 23 violations by 10 sports programs. All of them were Level III.

In the case of the gambling offense, the action that NCAA enforcement required was rules education for the individual as well as the entire football staff.

According to Georgias compliance report: If the staff member is hired by another SEC institution in the future, (he/she) is required to complete a sports gambling education program/session and the hiring institution is required to submit a written plan to the conference office for monitoring the staff member to assure he does not commit similar violations in the future.

Georgia also reported a Level III gambling violation in 2022 that was determined to be isolated in nature.

Gambling is a growing issue in college sports. An increasing number of states have legalized gambling, and the activity is much more accessible via the Internet and smart phones.

Weve had issues with that in the past, too, Georgia football coach Kirby Smart said in May. Its more prevalent. I cant turn the TV on now without seeing something. Theres a lot of debate out there about whats right and whats wrong, but the NCAA rule is pretty harsh for gambling relative to some other things. Its pretty obvious why: They dont want that infiltrating teams.

More here:

University of Georgia reports NCAA gambling infraction by member of football staff - The Atlanta Journal Constitution