Gamblers who won .5 million playing mini-baccarat and then were denied full payment by the casino, have won the latest round in a two-year fight. Regulators in New Jersey say the games, which were played with unshuffled cards, were legal.
The 14 gamblers and the casino are duking it out over the payout. Initially, the Nugget paid $500,000 of the win. Then casino demanded the return of the money, but later, acting on orders of Nugget owner Tillman Fertitta, agreed to pay in full. But the casino rescinded that offer when some of the gamblers refused to dismiss their claims against the Golden Nugget. They say the casino illegally detained them after the game.
The Associated Press reports the state’s Division of Gaming Enforcement found no wrongdoing by the casino or players, even though the players became aware that the cards were not shuffled and raised their bets from $10 a hand to $5,000.
In a September 23 letter, the division said the game, played April 30, 2012, was “legal and valid. There is absolutely no evidence that the players or casino personnel involved in the game were involved in any sort of collusion, cheating or manipulation to affect the results of the game.” The letter added that Golden Nugget management was “actively watching the game, either through reports from personnel or surveillance, and was not able to discover any obvious issues regarding the integrity of game play.
“Golden Nugget had the authority to cease play at any time, and could have introduced a new deck of cards at any time, but elected to let play continue.”
The division also investigated card manufacturer Gemaco and determined that the cards were not pre-shuffled before being packed and shipped to the casino.
