Isle Casino Gambler Claims Jackpot with Fake Name, Gets Double-Busted

An Iowa man who joined the state’s self-exclusion program was arrested after he tried to claim a jackpot at the Isle Casino in Waterloo, Iowa, while pretending to be someone else.

Matthew James Wessels, 43, signed up for the program in January 2023, effectively meaning he agreed to ban himself from every state-licensed gaming venue in Iowa.

Nevertheless, Wessels visited the Isle Casino on May 17, 2024, where he gambled and hit a jackpot for an unspecified amount. But he used a false name and social security number when he filled out the paperwork to claim it.

Unhappily for Wessels, the true owner of the social security number was not down with the scheme and called the police, according to court documents.

Wessels returned to the casino on May 19 and was asked to leave, the filings state. Later, he was arrested on forgery and gambling charges, as well as trespassing.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission’s self-exclusion program, like those in many states, allows gamblers to bar themselves from casinos, usually because they have a gambling problem.

Customers identified by the casino as excluded must be removed from the premises and can be subject to prosecution for criminal trespass.

In most states, including Iowa, the forfeiture of any winnings is a condition of joining the self-exclusion program.

Casinos themselves can face fines or even license suspension for failing to comply with state regulations related to self-exclusion. But most states limit disciplinary action to violations linked to willfully or inadvertently marketing to excluded individuals.

After losing out on his jackpot, and now facing criminal charges, things were about to get a whole lot worse for Wessels. On July 16, he agreed to sell four pounds of methamphetamine for $14K to an undercover FBI agent posing as a drug dealer, according to federal court records.

Wessels agreed to meet the agent in the parking lot of a restaurant in Waterloo that same day. On arrival, the suspect carried a tan bag filled with drugs into the agent’s car and was arrested on the spot.

He is now facing federal charges of possession with intent to supply a controlled substance. Wessels is no stranger to such charges. In August 18, 2017, he was sentenced to more than six years in a federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.