Category Archives: Gambling

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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Pinto says gambling suspension was result of proxy betting - theScore

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

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.

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

Gambling.com Group Limited (NASDAQ:GAMB Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totalling 349,300 shares, a drop of 5.5% from the June 15th total of 369,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 167,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days. Currently, 2.2% of the companys stock are short sold.

GAMB stock opened at $9.33 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Gambling.com Group has a twelve month low of $7.51 and a twelve month high of $14.83. The companys 50 day moving average is $8.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.72. The stock has a market cap of $347.26 million, a P/E ratio of 19.04 and a beta of 0.85.

Gambling.com Group (NASDAQ:GAMB Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.06. Gambling.com Group had a net margin of 17.06% and a return on equity of 23.12%. The company had revenue of $29.22 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $28.35 million. Research analysts expect that Gambling.com Group will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Gambling.com Group from $16.00 to $13.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 17th. Craig Hallum reduced their target price on shares of Gambling.com Group from $15.00 to $12.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, B. Riley reduced their target price on shares of Gambling.com Group from $14.50 to $13.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Gambling.com Group currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $14.60.

Read Our Latest Research Report on Gambling.com Group

(Get Free Report)

Gambling.com Group Limited operates as a performance marketing company for the online gambling industry worldwide. It provides digital marketing services for the iGaming and social casino products. The company's focus is on online casino, online sports betting, and fantasy sports industry. It publishes various branded websites, including Gambling.com, Casinos.com, RotoWire.com, and Bookies.com.

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Gambling.com Group Limited (NASDAQ:GAMB) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest - American Banking and Market News

BATON ROUGE Charges have been dropped against former LSU football player Kayshon Boutte in an illegal gambling and computer fraud case, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Boutte, the 22-year-old Patriots wide receiver, was arrested by Louisiana State Police in January. State Police alleged that Boutte lied about his age and placed 9,000 illegal wagers before he turned 21 while he was playing at LSU. Arrest records alleged that Boutte placed multiple bets on himself, including on the 2022 kickoff game between LSU and Florida State.

State prosecutors decided to drop the charges after further examination and actions by Boutte to ban himself from further gambling.

"We have...confirmed that he did not financially benefit from his actions as an LSU football player; he did not bet against himself or his team," First Assistant District Attorney for the 19th Judicial District Tracey Barbera said. "We do not believe a felony prosecution is appropriate."

State prosecutors did say that there was "undisputed evidence that Kayshon Boutte was under the age of 21 when he made these sports wager, (but) no one suffered any financial loss as a result of his conduct."

Boutte, who was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round after serving as the Tigers second-leading receiver during the 2022 season with 538 yards in 11 games, completed a gambling awareness program and executed self-ban agreements in Massachusetts as well as with FanDuel and BET99, Barbera said.

Since Boutte's arrest, multiple laws have been put in place to crack down on sports betting in the state.

On Aug. 1, proposition bets will be removed from the Official Sports Betting Catalog. Additionally, a law passed in the 2024 legislative session criminalizes sports wagering by a prohibited player.

According to The Associated Press, Boutte was in attendance during the Patriots offseason working program this spring. Coach Jerod Mayo said in May that they were waiting to see what, if anything, the NFL had to say about his case.

Right now, he is out here. We will wait to hear from the league going forward, but hes out here, Mayo said. He is doing a good job for us.

Link:

State prosecutors drop gambling charges against former LSU receiver Kayshon Boutte - WBRZ

Louisiana has dropped all gambling-related charges against former LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutteafter an investigation found his wagers did not cause anyone financial harm and he agreed to a "self-ban" on sports betting.

Assistant District Attorney Tracey Barbera confirmed the decision to drop Boutte's case Tuesday after ESPN first reported the news. Barbera said in a statement that while there is "undisputed evidence" Boutte made underage bets, no one suffered financial loss as a result and he did not bet against himself or LSU's football team.

"Kayshon Boutte has completed a gambling awareness program and executed self-ban agreements in Massachusetts as well as with FanDuel and BET99," Barbera said. "In light of his mitigatory actions, we do not believe a felony prosecution is appropriate."

In January,Louisiana state police said in an affidavit that Boutte placed thousands of illegal sports bets while he was a player at LSU, including wagers on himself and his team. He was arrested on a felony count of computer fraud and a misdemeanor charge of gaming by an individual under the age of 21.

Boutte allegedly placed nearly 9,000 total bets for over $600,000, using someone else's name and birthday on a FanDuel account linked to his mother's credit card. In the affidavit, police said that 17 of Boutte's alleged bets were on college football games and six involved LSU.

LSU said in a statement in January that it had no evidence that any other athletes at the school had gambled illegally.

Barbera said an investigation by the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division concluded that Boutte placed the bets under the age of 21, but "he did not financially benefit from his actions as an LSU football player."

Boutte, a native of New Iberia, signed as a five-star recruit and burst onto the scene as a freshman. Against Ole Miss in 2020, he caught 14 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns, setting the Southeastern Conference single-game receiving yardage record.

Boutte then caught nine touchdowns in the first six games of his sophomore year but suffered a season-ending ankle injury in a road loss to Kentucky. He struggled to regain his pre-injury form his junior year, finishing with 48 receptions for 538 yards and two touchdowns.

The New England Patriots then selected Boutte in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Boutte has two career catches for 19 yards. According to ESPN, he participated fully in the team's spring practices.

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Ex-LSU receiver Kayshon Boutte's gambling-related charges have been dropped - NOLA.com

The NFL season is here! The Hall-of-Fame game kicks off next Thursday in Canton to signify the start of the greatest game in the worlds season. Weve spent the entire offseason placing bets on MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and all sorts of things. Now its time to dig into our favorite 2024 NFL win total best bets.

CHECK OUT THE SPORTS GAMBLING PODCASTS DAILY BEST BETS

The Eagles started the 2023 season 10-1, things fell apart quickly, unfortunately for the Eagles. The team ended the season on a 1-5 skid but still managed to surpass this number at 11-6. In 2022, on their way to being the champions of the NFC, the team had a 14-3 record.

This year theyve got the route of veteran coordinators this season, bringing on defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

The Eagles added Saquon Barkley to bolster their offense and paid both star receivers AJ Brown and Devonta Smith. If Jalen Hurts can get back to his almost MVP level of 2022, this Eagles team could be dangerous fast. They are also my favorite bet to win the Super Bowl at 15/1.

Mike Tomlin has been the head man in Pittsburgh for the last 17 seasons. With Bill Belichicks departure from the New England Patriots, he is now the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL. In those 17 seasons, Tomlin has had a record worse than .500 exactly zero times. So, you are getting him at plus money to win one more game than .500, which hes done 14 times in 17 seasons, including the last four years.

Even with Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Duck Hodges at the helm, Tomlin has gotten it done. Now he gets two-time Super Bowl-playing quarterback Russell Wilson and maybe sprinkle in some electric Justin Fields as well. If anyone can make this happen, its Tomlin, who, outside of Andy Reid, is probably the best head coach in the league. Sign me up.

The Colts have actually gone over 8.5 wins in three of the last four seasons. Last year, when Anthony Richardson went down with an injury, Gardner Minshew stepped up and filled in solidly, leading the team to a 9-8 record.

This year, they get Anthony Richardson back, who, in his small sample size, looked like a very explosive playmaker. The biggest question with Richardson is whether he can stay healthy. While staying healthy would be the best thing for this bet, if he doesnt, Joe Flacco is now in town as the backup. We all saw what the 2023 comeback player of the year did, filling in in Cleveland.

The Raiders of Las Vegas went 8-9 last season with Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm for most of the season. Josh McDaniels was fired halfway through the season as owner Mark Davis wasnt happy with the job that was done.

Antonio Pierce took over as the interim head coach and won the hearts and minds of Las Vegas, being rewarded with the interest tag being removed. While Pierce was a great rah-rah get the troops fired up guy last year, his coaching resume lacks big time. His head coaching experience is four seasons on the high school level.

He spent a few years on the staff at Arizona State and just a season and a half as the linebackers coach in Vegas. This just seems like a massive step too fast that is going to backfire. Then they draft another tight end with their first pick in the Draft, and they are relying on either Gardner Minshew or Aiden OConnell to be the guy at quarterback. It just doesnt seem like a seven-win move. Give me the under.

This bet would not hit if Bryce Young found Jordans special water bottle from Space Jam. This team has had more than 5.5 wins once in the last five seasons. Bryce Young did not look good in his rookie season after being drafted as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Panthers only won two games in 2023, and their head coach was fired partway through his first season at the helm.

The team traded what ended up being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to trade up and draft Young in 2023. They did trade back into the first round with the Buffalo Bills to get a wide receiver for Young in Xavier Legette.

They also traded for the Steelers Diontae Johnson, so they are trying to give Young some weapons. Until I see Young improve and some stability from the front office, most notably the owner David Tepper, Ill fade the Panthers.

Tennessee is another team with a new head coach, but a bit of a different situation. Their starting quarterback in Will Levis, hasnt proven himself just yet, but hes shown the flashes of being able to take that next step. Mike Vrables time was up and in steps Brian Callahan from the Cincinnati Bengals.

Brian is a package deal, bringing his father Bill, a former NFL head coach and one of the greatest offensive line coaches in NFL history, with him. Will Levis got no time to work the ball last year, landing on his back more than anything else.

Even in a tumultuous season last year, the Titans managed to get to six wins. This is a franchise that doesnt lose a lot of games in general. Before last year, you have to go all the way back to the 2015 season for the last time the Titans won less than seven games in a season.

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2024 NFL Win Total Best Bets - SGPN