A barber in Indiana faces five charges related to running an illegal lottery from his workplace. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
Illegal lottery bankruptcy
Customers who enjoyed betting at Nice Cut Barber and Tax in Indianapolis will now have to return to a more traditional service after undercover agents discovered the store was doubling as an illegal gambling den.
He faces five charges including professional gambling
As a result of the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) process, Kesne Mathieu (aka Wilner Andre), a barber and gambling organizer at Nice Cut, faces five charges including professional gambling and corrupt business influence.
One IGC agent initially infiltrated the illegal barbershop operation on West 38th Street in September 2022.
Cut, beer, bet
After a haircut on their first visit to Nice Cut, the IGC undercover agent asked if Burlet was there to buy lottery tickets. According to court documents, Mathieu, 35, directed the officer to Alborlet’s office located in the back of the barber shop. While you are in the office, WRTV reported Wednesday The bookmaker sold beer and a lottery ticket to the agent “Reflects the numbers provided by the officer.”
Slot machines in the building
Court documents list three additional times that plainclothes agents returned to Nice Cut and placed bets at the borlet counter, with the initial agent also noting the slot machines on the premises.
With enough evidence to issue a search warrant, several IGC officers raided the barber shop in June. The operation generated more than $22,000 in borlet ticket sales and nearly $2,000 from slots, court documents revealed.
Strict gambling laws
according to IGCs’ “Illegal Gambling FAQs”. The only legal gambling permitted in Indiana is via the state lottery, as well as “river casinos, pari-mutuel wagering on horse races, charity gaming, racetrack gambling, and type II gaming.”
Indiana failed to get online casinos approved as expected in 2023, even though Hoosier Lottery online games were included in the bill. Despite this, Indiana was one of the first states to legalize sports betting in 2019. By 2022, it became the sixth state to reach $10 billion in lifetime sports betting handle.
As for Nice Cut patrons who illegally buy lottery tickets, and barber Matteo – who is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Thursday – it appears the game is finally over.
