Iron Range 'Razz Queen' pleads guilty to illegal gambling

HIBBING, Minn. — A woman who called herself the "Razz Queen" has pleaded guilty to running an illegal lottery that reportedly brought in more than $117,000 in less than 10 months.

Kathryn Jean Deblack, 39, of Hibbing, was placed on one year of unsupervised probation and ordered to pay a $3,000 fine — the statutory maximum — after pleading guilty to a gross misdemeanor gambling charge last week in State District Court.

Deblack, according to court documents, defied warnings from state agents to cease the raffles she conducted through Facebook, instead moving to disguise the scheme that eventually included roughly 200 paying participants. She allegedly claimed to be donating proceeds to local charities, but investigators said a financial review and interviews turned up minimal evidence to back that claim.

https://www.bemidjipioneer.com/news/minnesota/iron-range-razz-queen-pleads-guilty-to-illegal-gambling