Tuesday, March 06, 2007

The two-year saga surrounding a $100,000 Super Bowl pool ended Friday with
the co-owner of the Legacy Supper Club placed on probation for one year on
gambling charges. Mary Blair, 54, appeared before Outagamie County Circuit
Judge John Des Jardins on twin charges of permitting premises to be used for
gambling and placing a bet. Des Jardins endorsed a plea agreement that
recommended one year of probation, 25 hours of community service and $120 in
court costs. But it was clear Des Jardins was uncomfortable sentencing
someone for operating a sports pool of the kind found in most workplaces
this time of year. "Gambling is pretty pervasive and this is March madness
right now and you can go anywhere in the community and place a bet," said
Des Jardins. Des Jardins acknowledged the unusual size of the $1,000-a-bet
board drew the attention of authorities. "The reason we have laws is so
citizens know where the line is and if they cross it they can be prosecuted
for that," he said "It would be helpful to know that. I don't feel it is a
very serious crime and the people participated in it voluntarily." The case
started in February 2005 when agents from the state Department of Justice's
Division of Criminal Investigation executed a search warrant at the Legacy
Supper Club, N5334 N. Richmond St., Grand Chute. They seized $101,848 in
cash and betting records, with the majority of participants betting under
nicknames. The pool consisted of 100 squares costing the bettor $1,000 each
with a payout at the end of each quarter. The pool was designed to pay out
$95,000 with $5,000 retained by the house. About six months later the case
was turned over to the Outagamie County District Attorney's office for
prosecution. The case languished there for another 18 months before District
Attorney Carrie Schneider issued charges last week. Then, only Mary Blair,
not her husband, Robert Blair, was charged. "She was the one who wanted to
run the pool and she was the one who kept the records," said Assistant
District Attorney Melinda Tempelis, who handled the sentencing hearing. It
was revealed at the sentencing that the money seized was forfeited to
federal authorities. On the same day the Legacy Supper Club was raided, a
consent search was conducted at Tommy G's, a Kaukauna tavern, where between
$10,000 and $15,000 were seized as part of another Super Bowl pool.
Schneider was asked about the status of that case earlier this week. "Given
the scope, I will likely not be pursuing charges in that case," said
Schneider. "The scope was not anything near what we had at the Legacy."

Des Jardins suggested he was left conflicted by the prosecution of a
gambling case where more and more gambling is now legal or conducted in the
workplace.

"It puts the court is a difficult position," he said. "And then there is
legal betting and the court has seen the results of that here where we have
had huge embezzlement cases. The majority of the people in the community
have participated in illegal bets."