Nevada Adds 36th Person to Black Book for Cheating at Roulette

The Nevada Gaming Commission has added the 36th person to its List of Excluded Persons, also known as the infamous “black book”. The person in question is Shaun Joseph Benward, a 36-year-old illusionist from Mississippi who has been convicted of cheating at roulette in several states and has been removed from 17 Nevada casinos 12. He was nominated for inclusion in the black book in September and was added to the list on Thursday, December 21, 2023.

What is the Black Book?

The black book is a list of people who are banned for life from all casinos in the Silver State. Being included in the black book necessitates just one conviction related to gaming or moral turpitude laws, a violation of a court order to stay away from casinos or possessing a notorious or unsavoury reputation. Benward met all four criteria for inclusion.

The Importance of Fair Play

This news highlights the importance of fair play and ethical conduct in the gambling industry. Cheating at any game is not only illegal but also unethical. It is important to remember that gambling should be a form of entertainment and not a means of making money through dishonest means.

Nevada is the 5th state to ban Benward.

Nevada becomes the fifth state to bar Benward, a notorious figure with a history of cheating on roulette dating back to 2017. After being ousted from nine Las Vegas casinos in July and August 2020 and subsequently banned from a Lake Tahoe casino, Benward’s extensive cheating record caught up with him.

Following a 40-minute discussion, the Nevada Gaming Control Board officially added him to the Excluded Person List for his fraudulent activities. This move by Nevada follows similar actions taken by Pennsylvania, Delaware, Michigan, and Missouri, with Benward already banned from their respective casinos due to convictions or arrests in New Jersey, Delaware, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, and Rhode Island.