Casino sues gamblers who won $1.5m

The Golden Nugget Atlantic City (Brigantine Boulevard, Atlantic City, NJ 08401, (800) 777-8477) is suing a group of gamblers who won $1.5million in a game of mini-baccarat and is refusing to pay the players their winnings even though they broke no rules.

The casino claims the game was illegal because the cards were unshuffled, despite a promise from their manufacturer that they would be pre-shuffled and ready to use. So instead of suing the manufacturer, they are now suing the players. *INSANE*

The fiasco took place during a low-stakes version of the popular card game where players are dealt hands while trying to predict if they will beat the banker. When the 14 players kept seeing the same sequence of cards dealt, over and over and over again, their eyes grew wide and their bets grew bigger, growing from $10 a hand to $5,000.

They became surrounded by casino security guards and management who were convinced they had cheated but unable to prove how.

Three of the Golden Nugget gamblers have filed a counter-suit against the casino, alleging the gambling house discriminated against them based on their Chinese heritage. The three are from Atlantic City, Queens and Brooklyn, N.Y. One of them, Hua Shi of Brooklyn claims he was sleeping in his room at the casino when someone knocked on the door. When he answered, he was rushed by four Golden Nugget employees who pinned him against the wall and searched him and his belongings, according to his lawsuit. He said casino personnel held him in a room without food, water or an interpreter for eight hours. After a second search of his room, he was released, his lawsuit asserts.

In December, another Atlantic City casino, the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort used unshuffled mini-baccarat cards for 3 1/2 hours before realizing something was wrong. That episode led to a $91,000 fine against the casino, which fired 9 people it said were involved.