Kayshon Boutte – Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty
Former LSU WR Kayshon Bouttee was arrested for illegal online sports betting charges alleging that he used fraudulent accounts to gamble on his games.
Boutte is currently a wide receiver for the New England Patriots yet his college days are returning to haunt him. With Name, Image, and Likeness deals finally happening in college sports you have to try pretty hard to get in trouble for making money as a college athlete, but according to Louisiana’s WAFB 9, the athlete did so in a ridiculous way.
On January 25, Boutee turned himself in on felony computer fraud charges related to online sports betting. In addition to felony charges, he received a misdemeanor charge of “gaming prohibited for persons under 21.”
The former LSU standout is accused of creating a fraudulent betting account and placing almost 9,000 bets. Perhaps the most impressive part is he only deposited a total of $132,147.53 but his total earned was reportedly $556,267.58.
Allegedly his withdrawals only totaled around $50K during his illegal gambling from April 2022 until May 2023.
Kayshon Boutte allegedly placed bets on LSU football games and his stat lines as well. Even if you don’t know the rules of sports betting, you’re probably aware that betting on yourself is illegal.
LSU issued a statement when Kayshon’s arrest warrant was issued.
“In July 2023, LSU was made aware of allegations regarding a former student-athlete’s improper conduct related to sports gambling while enrolled at the University,” the statement read. “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 Athletic reports that the most shocking part of the ordeal is that his usernames on the sports betting sites allegedly included portions of his government name.
This is the most interesting illegal sports betting case in college football history. The outcome will be interesting and worth keeping an eye on.
