White Bear Lake Hockey Association files lawsuit against former gambling manager

White Bear Lake Hockey Association is suing its former gambling manager over an alleged breach of contract and civil theft, according to a complaint filed in Ramsey County District Court.

The Association said that Christine Olson, of Minnesota Gambling Consultants Limited Liability Company, formed her own company, interfered with the Association’s business relationships and destroyed business records and emails.

Under Minnesota law, a person can act as a gambling manager for only one organization at a time.

Olson had been a full-time employee of the Association for 12 years and held a gambling license in order to raise funds for the organization.

The main funding for the Association is through the sale of pull tabs and bingo games in various bars and restaurants in Minnesota.

A string of “questionable conduct” by Olson led to a strained relationship between her and the Association, leading to her resignation on March 28, 2023, the complaint says.

The Association alleges that Olson was planning to form a company for her own financial benefit many months before her resignation and that she was conducting unlawful activity to hurt the Association, including interfering with the Association’s gambling partners and using confidential information for her new position.

She also destroyed business records and emails, which were deleted immediately before she resigned to cover up her actions, the Association said in the complaint.

The Association claims that it has been harmed by Olson’s defamatory statements and the alleged violations of gambling laws.

The White Bear Lake Hockey Association was founded in 1968 as a non-profit Minnesota corporation to develop youth hockey players in the community. It has more than 800 participants on an annual basis.

The board of the association consists of 12 or more volunteers, largely made up of parents.