Underage gambling and fraud charges against former LSU receiver Kayshon Boutte have been dropped. He was arrested in January for allegedly creating a fictitious name to place bets on sporting events when he was under 21. The East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney’s office says Boutte completed a gambling awareness program and executed a self-ban. Legal Analyst Tim Meche says it’s a classic case of prosecutorial discretion because no one was harmed.
“A prosecutor exercises judgment not to expend his resources because everything that needs to be addressed has already been addressed. And it makes no sense to prosecute and punish someone when they’ve already taken steps to address the matter,” said Meche.
Meche believes the investigation of Boutte’s case will be a lesson learned for LSU and the NCAA, as well as how they need to monitor college athletes going forward regarding sports wagering.
“And their activities in this arena better than they did with Mr. Boutte. And I think that’s the beneficiary of this, hopefully after all this is said and done,” said Meche.
A statement from the EBR DA’s office said Boutte did not bet against himself or his team. Meche said that’s interesting to note.
“It used to not matter, if you bet in the same sport, according to Major League Baseball, at least in the same game, you’re playing that never was a distinction but now in that press release they’re making it,” said Meche.
The legal gambling age in Louisiana is 21 and Boutte was underage when the bets were placed. He’s currently a wide receiver for the New England Patriots and will report for training camp next week.
