West Side Bar Bookies

A Third Suspect Remains at Large, But Police Are Confident They’ll Apprehend the Man

Two Grand Rapids men were charged with running an illegal gambling ring this week, according to Anya Rath of MLive. The two men charged were the 66-year old Barry Bartlett Lott and 73-year old Mark Irwin Stouten.

The men were charged with the same five crimes: taking bets, registering bets, conspiracy to commit gambling, possession of gambling paraphernalia, and selling pools. Stouten and Bartlet ran their operation of the West Side Putt-Putt Bar, a popular establishment.

West Side Bar the Site of Gambling

West Side Putt-Putt Bar became the focus of an investigation after Grand Rapids police received an anonymous tip in Fall 2014. The tipster said the establishment had become the center of an organized betting ring, so the police set up surveillance of the place.

The officers saw a man enter the bar with paperwork of some kind, so they decided to send in an undercover agent. This plain-clothes police detective overheard a patron discussing the subject of betting with a bartender.

Infiltration of the Betting Ring

Eventually, a second detective was sent in to infiltrate the gaming ring. He placed bets with one of the suspects. Court documents show that the officer was paid winnings by the man for his successful sports bets, while he paid the same bookie when he lost wagers.

The same detective charges that he saw other bettors be paid for their winnings, while he oversaw people paying their gambling debts, as well. These findings led to a raid on West Side Putt-Putt Bar in May 2015. This week’s formal charges were a consequence of that raid.

Bonds for Stouten and Bartlett

The bonds for Mark Stouten and Barry Bartlett Lott were each set at $10,000. An arrest warrant has been issued for a third alleged member of the sports gambling ring, though he remains at large. Grand Rapids police say they expect the man to be arrested soon.

Public Comments on the Arrests

Some of the public comments by residents of Kent County seemed to come to the gamblers’ defense. Most people appeared to be outraged at the arrests of Stouten and Bartlett, who they felt to be small-time operators, while hardened criminals and big-money operators go unpunished.

One suggested these senior citizens should have paid taxes on their winnings. Another suggested that people should remember these kinds of cases the next time local officials ask for more money to support police work.

Stan Spedowski said, “Terrible, just terrible–betting on sports. They deserve life in prison.”

One reader who identified himself as “Matt” said, “Small time dive bar gambling. The scourge of our wholesome, moral society.”

Another reader added, “A couple of dudes running parlay bets on football Sundays…way to go…nice job busting some big time crooks.”

A fourth resident added, “Wasting detectives’ time nabbing small time operators while society’s real troublemakers get away with murder–typical.”

Not everyone blamed the investigators. It was suggested that the men were violating state laws and officials would be remiss in their duties if they looked the other way because of their age. Also, it is still uncertain the turnover in gambling action this operation entailed.

Other Senior Citizen Bookies

For instance, a sports betting operation in New Jersey was busted early this year which was organized by two seventy-something men. These septugenarians were handling tens of millions of dollars in cash in betting which covered two or three different US states. Of course, those men ended up having ties to organized crime and a set of payday loan businesses, which have rates which made them virtual loan sharks.

Until the case against Bartlett and Stouten is made in court, it might be hard to know what level of gambling was taking place. Also, bookies tend to charge predatory rates, often as high as 20%, for their services. This makes it next to impossible for gamblers to win in the long term, and thus is seen as predatory. The charge “registering bets” also might indicate that the wagers were placed with an offshore betting site, which is a bit more sophisticated than a small group of old fellows betting for $10 a game in West Side bar.