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 on 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 that they would be launching their 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, we know he didn’t bet on those while he was an employee.
While the dropping of the charges is 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.