More charges, including a felony count, were filed Monday against a Twin Cities man who is accused of roaming Twin Cities-area casinos and playing slots for gamblers who paid to have their bets placed, then watched live on TikTok in hopes of striking it rich.
40-year old Blake Fitzgerald, of Farmington, is now facing a felony charge in Goodhue County of instructing others to violate gambling laws along with three related gross misdemeanor counts.
Also Monday, additional gross misdemeanor illegal gambling counts were filed in Goodhue County against Fitzgerald's brother, 34-year old Christopher Mattison.
In August, Fitzgerald was charged with three gross misdemeanors in connection with allegations he ran a remote bookie business for at least four months until January 2023 while at Mystic Lake Casino and Treasure Island Resort & Casino. Mattison was charged as well back in August.
According to the criminal complaints and other court documents:
Fitzgerald collected through cash apps an initial $5.99 subscription fee and then $25 that he kept for every $100 deposited for wagering, which he streamed live on TikTok.
Archived videos on his main TikTok account revealed 165,000 followers from around the world. Video highlights showed wads of cash and slot machines rolling up occasional big jackpots, including one in December that topped $15,000.
On Jan. 12, he livestreamed about being booted from Mystic Lake during a previous visit. That same day, he was in his car outside Treasure Island and said he had just been given a permanent trespass notice.
The American Gaming Association said after the brothers were initially charged, that it has never heard of such a gambling scheme.
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