Casino sues to recoup unshuffled deck wins

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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., Aug. 22 (UPI) -- A New Jersey casino is seeking the return of $1.5 million from 14 gamblers after officials discovered their mini-Baccarat table's deck of cards was unshuffled.

The Golden Nugget casino in Atlantic City is suing the 14 gamblers, who together totaled 41 winning bets in a row when the cards at the table began coming out in sequence, the New York Post reported Wednesday.

A casino spokeswoman said the gamblers were initially suspected of cheating, but officials soon discovered the cards -- which had been ordered as pre-shuffled from the Missouri manufacturer -- "were not shuffled at all."

"The gamblers unlawfully took advantage of the Golden Nugget when they caught on to the pattern and increased their bets from as little as $10 to $5,000," the casino said in a statement.

The lawsuit, which also names card manufacturer Gemaco Inc., seeks the return of $550,000 cash and $1 million in chips still held by the players after officials ceased honoring the chips from the table.

Benjamin Dash, a lawyer for three of the players who have countersued to have their chips honored, said the Golden Nugget's suit is "sending the message from the casino that 'when we win, we win, and when we lose, we win."