A Round Lake bar owner served fine and community service

A Round Lake bar owner will keep his liquor license and avoid jail time after being found guilty Thursday of illegal gambling.

In a stipulated bench trial before Judge Patrick Lawler, Scott Coyne was found guilty of one count of illegal gambling and was sentenced to 18 months court supervision and 150 hours of community service.

In addition, Coyne will pay a $2,500 fine and make a $1,000 donation to Lake County Crimestoppers.

Coyne's attorney, Thomas Briscoe, said the arrangement was fair.

"He's pleased that he'll be able to keep his liquor license," Briscoe said. "It was an innocent thing. A very small-time thing. I don't know of any bar around that doesn't have some kind of gambling going on, like strip cards."

Coyne was arrested in January after a raid on his Round Lake bar, the Four Coynes Inn, after a three-month investigation into illegal gambling there.

Police said video poker games and dice games at the bar paid out money to winning patrons, as did betting on sports games.

The night of the raid, police found a three-table Texas Hold 'Em poker tournament going on, which required players to buy in for $20 each.

Coyne contended that he didn't know the gambling games were illegal.

The village revoked Coyne's liquor license in February. Coyne appealed to the state, and the revocation was overturned earlier this month.

Instead, Coyne was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine to the village.

Prosecutors also felt the outcome of the criminal case was fair.

"He's paying the maximum fine allowed under state statute," said Assistant State's Attorney Ben Dillon. "The disposition is certainly fair given the facts of the case."