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9.06.2012

casino to pay winners in unshuffled cards case

Remember that Atlantic City casino lawsuit over some folks who got a hell of a payoff when they were dealt cards from an unshuffled deck?

Last week, the casino announced that it would let those gamblers keep the nearly $1 million they won from those games: Golden Nugget casino says it will pay $1.5M in winnings in Atlantic City unshuffled cards case.

A judge ordered the Golden Nugget to let players cash in their chips. And ultimately, rather than file an appeal, the Golden Nugget decided to pay the winners -- most of whom are Asian -- to make the whole thing go away:
"Without question, the mini-baccarat game that took place on April 30, 2012, allowed $10 bettors to realize a gambler's dream and enabled them to beat the house out of $1.5 million,” he said. "Even though we can appeal the court's ruling and take full advantage of the appellate process and legal system, and tie the matter up in litigation for a number of years, the Golden Nugget is a people business, and is prepared to allow the gamblers — most of whom continue to gamble at Golden Nugget — to realize the gambler's dream of beating the house."

The casino also will let gamblers keep more than a half-million dollars it already paid them from the same disputed games.
I laugh at the notion of the casino as a "people business." But whatever. Letting this thing go on is bad PR. It's nice to see the house lose for a change. More here: AC casino to pay winners in unshuffled cards case.