An Order Passed by the Judge; Gamblers Should Return $1.5 Million

Wikipedia/RWS

Some gamblers ended up winning $1.5 million at a casino. But, after the casino realized that the win was because the cards got shuffled they ordered the gamblers to return the money back.
Judge Donna Taylor from the State Superior Court sided alongside the Golden Nugget casino situated in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In this dispute, the 14 gamblers who were involved claim that it wasn’t their fault and that they should be permitted to keep the money the won.
The game which fell on the issue is mini-baccarat which was played back in April 2012. The casino had paid a manufacturer to pre-shuffle the cards, but it was later discovered that they have not been shuffled. The players started to realize the pattern in which the cards were coming, and they increased their bets from $10 right to $5000 and won 41 straight hands.

The ruling which was issued on Monday got publicized by the casino on Thursday. In it the judge determined that the games considered illegal under state law because they were not according to the rules and regulations of gambling.
The judge wrote that the dealer was in fault as it did not pre-shuffle the cards right before the beginning of the play. Thus, the cards were not pre-shuffled according to the regulations. He further stated that that this act was a violation of the Casino Control Act and, therefore, was not authorized. She ruled that any cash paid to the gamblers by the casino and any outstanding chips in their possession should be returned. In return of that, the gamblers would be refunded the money they first put up to play.

Wikipedia

The court’s ruling pleased the Golden Nugget and Tom Pohlman, the casino general manager said, “We believe it was the right decision.”
The ‘so called’ pre-shuffled cards were purchased by The Golden Nugget from a Kansas City manufacturer. In court, the manufacturer acknowledged that it failed to shuffle them. The casino accepted that the lawsuit with the manufacturer has been taken care of, but due to a confidentiality agreement, they can’t reveal the details.
This ruling by the judge was the latest in a long series of decisions which have been swinging between favoring the gamblers and favoring the casinos. Tillman Fertitta, Texas billionaire and the owner of the casino made the decision that the players keep their winnings. But this offer was dependent on the fact that the gamblers should drop their claims which they made against the casino, but they declined to do so.

For the disputed games, around $1 million chips remain outstanding, plus the casino paid out around $500,000 in winnings.