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A self-proclaimed illusionist from Mississippi, who spent years working casino floors under false names, including the alias "Shaun Mistery," will now spend the next decade behind bars.
On Tuesday (February 10), Judge Carl Petersen ordered 38-year-old Shaun Joseph Benward to serve concurrent prison terms that add up to 10 years. The Lyon County sentence comes with credit for nearly one year he has already spent in custody while waiting for the case to wrap up.
A jury found Benward guilty in November 2025 on a series of felony gaming charges tied to activity at Grand Falls Casino in Larchwood. Prosecutors said the case centered on a calculated effort to exploit casino procedures for personal gain.
He manipulated casino staff to secure over $10,000 in improper payouts and avoided IRS reporting requirements by breaking up over $12,000 in transactions, changing his outfit multiple times, and using different tellers to stay undetected. Benward has been arrested for similar scams throughout the country.
Iowa Department of Public Safety
According to the Iowa Department of Public Safety, jurors convicted him of "five counts of Money Laundering, five counts of Cheating at Gambling Games, and one count of Conspiracy to Commit a Felony."
State investigators began digging into Benward's actions after agents saw him cheating at the Larchwood casino in December 2018. What they uncovered, officials said, was a deliberate effort to outmaneuver both casino staff and federal reporting rules.
"He manipulated casino staff to secure over $10,000 in improper payouts and avoided IRS reporting requirements by breaking up over $12,000 in transactions, changing his outfit multiple times, and using different tellers to stay undetected," the department stated in its press release.
Mississippi self-proclaimed illusionist had history of casino bans and allegations
The Iowa conviction did not mark Benward's first clash with gambling regulators. Records from other states paint a picture of similar conduct stretching back more than a decade.
In October 2015, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board placed him on its involuntary exclusion list after determining that he and another person had carried out a cheating scheme. That same month, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in Monroe County, Pennsylvania.
Missouri regulators later compiled their own findings. A 2019 resolution from the Missouri Gaming Commission details incidents at several Kansas City-area casinos. Surveillance footage at the Isle of Capri Casino Kansas City allegedly showed Benward changing his wager after the outcome of a game was already known. In another episode, investigators concluded he pulled a $500 chip off the table while a cashier was distracted, then walked away with $2,750 in cash despite presenting only $2,250 in chips.
Those incidents led to his removal from multiple properties, including Lumière Place, Isle of Capri locations, Harrah's North Kansas City, and several Boyd Gaming casinos. Ultimately, Missouri regulators permanently barred him from all riverboat gaming facilities in the state.
After the 2018 incident in Iowa, Benward remained out of custody for several years. Authorities arrested him in Mississippi in April 2025 on outstanding warrants tied to the Iowa case.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety said the investigation showcases the work of the Division of Criminal Investigation's Special Enforcement Operations Bureau, calling it "the primary criminal investigative and enforcement agency for the Iowa gaming industry."
Featured image: Iowa Department of Public Safety
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Content warning: This article contains mentions of suicide.
Singapore's Chinese embassy has issued a sharp warning to its citizens after a Chinese national died by suicide following gambling at the Marina Bay Sands casino.
In a notice released Saturday (February 14), the embassy said it is helping the family of the deceased and used the case to caution both residents and tourists from China to stay away from gambling while in Singapore. The advisory comes just ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush, when visitor numbers are expected to climb.
Officials said the consular section has handled several gambling-related deaths in recent years. With more holidaymakers heading overseas, the embassy urged Chinese nationals to strengthen their legal awareness and think carefully about the consequences of taking part in gambling activities abroad.
In recent years, the Embassy has handled several cases of death caused by gambling and has previously issued related reminders.
Chinese Embassy in Singapore
The statement made clear that even if casinos operate legally in other countries, Chinese citizens may still face trouble under Chinese law. Amendments to China's Criminal Law have tightened rules around cross-border gambling, and authorities consider both participation and organization of overseas gambling to be potential crimes.
The embassy stressed that diplomatic missions cannot shield citizens from the consequences of illegal conduct. It also warned that gambling can spiral beyond financial losses, leading to family breakdown, personal harm and, in extreme cases, death.
China doubles down on zero tolerance for gambling amid Singapore casino death
China's tough stance on gambling has drawn attention repeatedly in recent years. Authorities have carried out sweeping crackdowns on cross-border gambling syndicates, including the execution of 11 members of a major gambling scam crime family in a high-profile case aimed at deterring organized operations. In another instance, the Chinese Communist Party disciplined five officials in Hubei province for gambling and card playing, reinforcing that even party members are not exempt from punishment.
Against that backdrop, the Singapore advisory also pointed out the darker side of gambling networks. The embassy warned that cross-border gambling can expose individuals to fraud, money laundering schemes, kidnapping, detention, human trafficking and other criminal activity. The risks, it said, often extend well beyond the casino floor.
Chinese citizens were encouraged to report any attempts to organize or promote cross-border gambling involving nationals from China. The Ministry of Public Security has set up reporting channels, including an online platform, email contacts and a dedicated WeChat account focused on rejecting cross-border gambling.
Featured image: Nicolas Lannuzel via WikiCommons / CC BY-SA 2.0
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A Doncaster woman who drained almost £300,000 ($409,000) from her former partner's injury compensation to bankroll a gambling addiction has been sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court.
Victoria Hampton, 44, who now goes by Victoria Burke, was convicted after a trial in November 2025. Jurors heard how she diverted at least £286,000 ($390,000) from a trust created to safeguard her partner's money following a devastating crash. The settlement had been awarded after a 2013 road collision left him with serious sight loss and lasting short-term memory difficulties.
Because of those injuries, his compensation was originally placed under the control of a trust. By 2017, however, he was assessed as being able to manage his own financial affairs. From that point on, Hampton, who was married to him at the time, was authorised to help oversee his accounts.
Prosecutors told the court she abused that position almost immediately.
How a Doncaster wife used disabled husband’s money to fund gambling habit
Instead of simply assisting with paperwork and day-to-day banking, Hampton secretly opened accounts in her partner's name and shifted large sums of money into accounts she controlled. The court heard that the cash was not used for his care or shared household expenses. Investigators identified gambling as the primary way the money was spent.
The scheme began to unravel when the victim was informed that £300,000 from his settlement had supposedly been transferred into a fresh trust arrangement. Confused, he later realised no such trust existed. That discovery triggered closer examination of his finances and ultimately a police investigation.
Officers uncovered documents showing withdrawal forms had been submitted bearing what appeared to be his signature. Evidence presented at trial established those signatures had been added without his knowledge.
After hearing the evidence, a jury found Hampton guilty of fraud by false representation and theft from the person of another. On January 30, 2026, she was handed an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.
The court ordered that she comply with strict conditions. Hampton must wear an electronic tag and remain at her home on Queen's Mary Road in New Rossington, Doncaster, between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. for the next year. She is also required to complete 15 days of rehabilitation activity.
Detective Constable Akil Kapasi, who led the investigation, said in a press statement that the victim had trusted his partner to look after his money, "and he was very sadly taken advantage of for several years." Kapasi added that the jury "were able to see through Hampton's lies and expose her despicable actions," and said he hoped the case would serve as a warning to anyone placed in charge of someone else's finances.
Featured image: Canva
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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says the league is keeping a close watch on the fast-changing world of prediction markets, but he made clear he does not see Giannis Antetokounmpo's investment in Kalshi as a major issue.
Speaking with reporters during All-Star Weekend, Silver addressed questions about the Milwaukee Bucks star's financial stake in the federally regulated prediction market platform. In the weeks following the NBA's 2026 trade deadline, markets speculating on Antetokounmpo's potential next team generated more than $23 million in trading volume.
Silver downplayed the significance of the player's involvement.
"The case of Giannis [Antetokounmpo], from what I understand, it's a minuscule investment, much smaller than 1%," Silver said, adding that "that does not violate the rules that have been collectively bargained with the Players Association." Silver continued, "Obviously, it's an issue that I'm paying, enormous amount of attention to. It's rapidly evolving."
Antetokounmpo finalized the investment one day after the trade deadline and later disclosed it publicly. Around that same time, Kalshi users were actively trading contracts tied to where he might land, even as he publicly suggested he was not focused on a move. He ultimately remained in Milwaukee, but the activity stirred debate about optics and possible conflicts.
Silver indicated the situation fits into a much larger conversation about betting and event-based trading, amid an NBA gambling scandal that had wide-reaching consequences.
NBA Commissioner Silver on prediction markets
The commissioner said the league is approaching prediction markets much the way it handles traditional sports wagering. Legalized betting has spread rapidly, and the NBA now operates in a patchwork of domestic and international jurisdictions.
"We currently are looking at prediction markets, essentially in the same way that we're looking at sports betting," Silver said. "The league is now dealing with essentially 40 different jurisdictions that have legalized sports betting in the United States. The last I looked, there are probably 80 countries in the world outside the United States that also have legal, legalized betting on the NBA." He added that this proliferation "concerns me in the totality of all this betting that we need a better handle, no pun intended, on all the different activity that's happening out there."
Prediction markets allow traders to buy and sell contracts based on the outcome of future events, ranging from elections to player transactions. Kalshi operates under oversight from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which the company says sets it apart from traditional sportsbooks and many offshore platforms.
The firm has previously said it prohibits "insider trading" and uses surveillance systems similar to those employed by financial exchanges. CEO Tarek Mansour has argued that permitting insider advantages "erodes trust," warning that "if people believe a market is unfair, they stop trading."
Still, skeptics point to episodes on other platforms and even Kalshi itself to argue that regulation remains uneven. One widely cited case involved a trader who reportedly turned roughly $30,000 tied to events in Venezuela into more than $400,000 on Polymarket, fueling "concerns about the lack of restrictions around insider trading on prediction markets."
In Washington, lawmakers have responded with proposals such as the Public Integrity in Financial Prediction Markets Act of 2026, which would restrict certain federal officials from trading on events where they may hold non-public information.
Under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, players can own up to 1% of a wagering or prediction company, provided they do not participate in markets directly tied to NBA outcomes. League officials say Antetokounmpo's stake falls within that limit.
Featured image: Giannis Antetokounmpo via X
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Massachusetts gambling regulators are sending a marketing case involving BetMGM straight to a formal hearing after learning that tens of thousands of promotional emails went out to people whose ages could not be verified, including minors and individuals on exclusion lists.
The issue came up during the commission's livestreamed meeting on Thursday (February 12). Senior Enforcement Counsel Zach Mercer laid out what investigators believe happened, pointing to several state regulations that bar operators from advertising to certain groups.
"This alleged non-compliance incident involves category 3 sports wagering licensee BetMGM," Mercer said. "These prohibit marketing to certain populations."
According to Mercer, the emails were tied to promotions connected with the MLB Ballpark app and were sent to people attending Boston Red Sox games. The campaign covered eight games played between April 10, 2024, and July 25, 2025.
How the BetMGM emails were allegedly sent to minors
Over that stretch, the volume was significant. "In that time period, a total of 96,167 emails were sent," Mercer said.
BetMGM later determined that 383 of those recipients were under 21 as of September 4, 2025. Another 19 were on the voluntary self-exclusion list, and 25 were in a cool-off period with the company when the messages were delivered.
This is sizable both in terms of scope, size, and the percentage of those emails where they cannot affirmatively say we're over 21 is really disturbing.
Commissioner Eileen O’Brien, Massachusetts Gaming Commission
On top of that, the company told regulators it could not verify the dates of birth for 37,632 people who received the emails.
"They reported that the reason for the incident involved an individual employee failing to abide by BetMGM's internal protocols regarding promotions," Mercer said.
Mercer asked commissioners how they wanted to proceed. Options included sending the case to a formal adjudicatory hearing, directing further investigation by the Investigations and Enforcement Bureau, or pursuing a civil administrative penalty under state law.
Commissioners made it clear they wanted the matter in front of them.
"I would like this to be an adjudicator hearing before us," Commissioner Eileen O’Brien said. "This is sizable both in terms of scope, size, and the percentage of those emails where they cannot affirmatively say we're over 21 is really disturbing."
She also pointed to the involvement of people on exclusion and cool-off lists, adding, "This could end up with substantial information in terms of what have they done, how have they done it, is there more information about the age or identifying information of these people that got the emails."
Commissioner Nakisha Skinner called the situation "particularly egregious."
"The non-compliance matter involves at least a violation, alleged violation, of at least one statute," Skinner said. "And where the affected population includes three distinct vulnerable categories."
"I am 100% in support of this coming before the commission in an adjudicator proceeding," she said.
Commissioner Paul Brodeur tied the decision to the agency's general mission. "One of the things we pride ourselves on is creating a safe, regulated marketplace," Brodeur said. "That is what differentiates regulated operators from others that are in this space or adjacent to this space."
Commissioner Bradford R. Hill drew attention the commission's stance on underage gambling. "Our goal is zero folks under 21 accessing a sports book in Massachusetts," Hill said. "And we take this very seriously. And if something like this pops up, we're going to take action."
Given the scope, Hill added that "we should directly tackle this issue ourselves and use IEB as a resource to do so."
The scrutiny in Massachusetts comes as BetMGM has faced regulatory attention elsewhere. The company recently partnered with blocking software provider BetBlocker to promote safer gambling tools, after it was warned by the Dutch Gaming Authority over an advertisement featuring soccer star Lamine Yamal that regulators said could appeal to minors.
After brief closing remarks from Mercer, commissioners confirmed the case will move forward to an adjudicatory hearing, with the enforcement bureau participating as needed.
ReadWrite has reached out to BetMGM for comment.
Featured image: BetMGM
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