Kayshon Boutte Opens Up on Gambling Addiction That Cost Him $90,000 and Nearly Ended His NFL Career

Boutte was an exciting prospect in college. He set an SEC single-game record after getting 308 receiving yards against Ole Miss as a freshman in December 2020.

A severe ankle injury forced Boutte into multiple surgeries, leaving him with an unexpected abundance of free time. That’s when the gambling started, as he was looking for ways to “get that feeling back of competing.”

He started feeling like the money wasn’t even real.

Boutte poured whatever money he had into FanDuel, betting at all hours of the day and night. He explained how it’s easy to lose touch with reality when using betting apps.

The Louisiana native was constantly waiting for his next Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) paycheck to keep betting. Boutte believed that as a gambling addict, his own mind was working against him and that it was all his fault. By the time he stopped, Boutte had lost about $90,000.

Eventually, he stopped betting so much after returning to the football field and becoming a father while still a junior in college. He said he woke up one day, looked in the mirror, and realized he was on a path that was not good for him.

His NFL Career Nearly Went Up in Smoke

The Patriots drafted Boutte in the sixth round of the 2023 Draft from LSU. He explained that he had “a lot of ups and downs” during his rookie season. He finished with just two receptions for 19 yards.

It was during the offseason that his life began to unravel publicly. Officers arrested him in January 2024 for allegedly placing 8,900 bets while he was underage. He placed wagers on six LSU Tigers football games, including a few on himself beating over/under prop bet targets. Police revealed that his betting account was active for about a week after the draft.

Prosecutors dismissed the charges in July 2024, and the Patriots stood by the wide receiver throughout the process. He said that many other teams might have walked away at that point.

Boutte put in strong performances over the next two seasons, finishing 2024 with 589 yards and 551 in 2025. The team is now in the playoffs for the first time since the 2021 season, facing off against the Los Angeles Chargers in Gillette Stadium on Sunday in the Wild Card Round.

But Boutte’s experience is not an isolated one — it reflects a much broader gambling problem that has taken hold on college campuses in the NIL era.

A Common Story on College Campuses

Boutte’s case reflects a broader issue on college campuses.

Boutte said he felt like he was being made an example of when he was arrested in January 2024. He noted that the same level of gambling addiction is rife on campuses all over the country.

Boutte circumvented the 21-year-old minimum age requirement to access licensed sports betting apps in Louisiana by using an alias and a fake date of birth. He linked his account to his mother’s credit card.

Evasion of age verification checks is a significant issue in the U.S. A 2023 NCAA survey showed that 67% of 18- to 22-year-old students living on campus had participated in some form of sports betting. They’re inundated with pro-gambling content on popular media outlets like The Pat McAfee Show and Barstool Sports.

That environment has also led to a rise in betting-driven harassment of student-athletes, prompting the NCAA to partner with platforms such as Venmo to create reporting tools for abuse tied to gambling losses.

Younger people are also more susceptible to developing gambling problems, which is why colleges are working hard to get a grasp of this issue.

Those concerns have also carried over into NCAA policymaking. Division I schools recently voted to maintain strict prohibitions on athlete betting — even on professional sports — in place amid concerns about integrity and enforcement.

And the consequences don’t stop when players leave campus. The same pressures have begun showing up in professional locker rooms as well.

Issues in the Highest Level of Sports

The dangers of gambling among athletes are also prevalent in the highest echelons of major sports.

Jontay Porter was playing for the Toronto Raptors when he accumulated large gambling debts and agreed to exit games early so his creditors could win their prop bets. He did this in two games, with sportsbook operators flagging suspicious betting activity on the relevant markets. He admitted to doing so and received a lifetime ban from the NBA. The 26-year-old is awaiting sentencing for his wire fraud conspiracy charges.

Other high-profile scandals relate to players selling insider information to bettors for financial gain. Authorities believe that’s what Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier did when playing for the Charlotte Hornets in 2023. His friend allegedly sold information to bettors that Rozier would leave a game early.

Meanwhile, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups is facing charges of allegedly being part of an underground poker ring tied to the mafia.

Then, two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, face accusations that they manipulated their pitching during MLB games. They allegedly received between $5,000 and $7,000 each time.

Early Days for the Sector

The U.S. sports betting landscape is still in its infancy. The federal ban only ended in May 2018, and states are still coming online. The true implications of having 24/7 access to sports betting are something that won’t be known for many years to come.

Until then, sports teams and leagues will do their utmost to educate players about the risks of betting and continue bolstering systems to detect anything that might jeopardize the integrity of games.