2 weeks Ago By Olivia Estright
RED WING, Minn. — The second brother accused of playing slot machines for off-site gamblers via TikTok was sentenced in the Goodhue County Justice Center on Monday, Feb. 3.
Blake Carl Fitzgerald, 41, of Farmington, was charged with one count of felony gambling-related acts and three counts of gambling-related gross misdemeanors. ADVERTISEMENT He entered a guilty plea for the gross misdemeanor charge in court on Monday. In exchange for his guilty plea, the other charges were dismissed.
After accepting his guilty plea at Monday's hearing, Goodhue County District Judge Patrick Biren sentenced Fitzgerald to serve two years of supervised probation and to perform 40 hours of community work service. Fitzgerald’s brother, Christopher J.L.
Mattison, 35, of Warren, Minnesota, was also charged with gambling-related gross misdemeanors. Mattison was sentenced to two years of probation after pleading guilty to one gross misdemeanor charge. Fitzgerald allegedly ran a livestream from the floor of the Treasure Island Resort & Casino playing games and placing bets for people remotely — including on behalf of a 16-year-old who lives in Pennsylvania, according to a complaint filed in Goodhue County District Court.
He charged a $5.99 subscription fee and a 25% “deposit” for people who would “get in line” to play specific games. The Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division (AGED) received an anonymous tip on Jan.
9, 2023, that Fitzgerald was streaming from Minnesota Casinos, including Treasure Island. An agent with AGED followed Fitzgerald’s livestream Jan. 11, 2023, as he asked players by name which slot machines they wanted him to play on their behalf.
When asked about the minimum bet, Fitzgerald responded, “What’s the minimum bet? You mean deposit. It’s $125,” referring to a minimum bet of $100 plus a 25% that went to Fitzgerald. During that livestream, Fitzgerald also talked about previously being kicked out of Mystic Lake during a visit there.
ADVERTISEMENT The investigating agent with AGED compiled a list of 81 names of people who paid Fitzgerald through Cash App and Venmo from Dec. 22, 2022, through Jan. 12, 2023.
Chats via the app Discord appear to show a strained working relationship between Fitzgerald and Mattison and that Fitzgerald knew the operation was illegal, according to court documents..
