A group of 14 gamblers who won more than $1.5million after eight card decks had not been shuffled properly are being sued by the casino they played in.

The Golden Nugget Atlantic City Casino is refusing to pay the gamblers their full winnings, as they insist the way in which they won the money was illegal, reports the Telegraph.

The gamblers realised that the eight decks were not being shuffled, claims the casino, and so increased bets from $10 to $51,000 on their way to a winning streak of won 41 consecutive hands of baccarat.

As the chips piled up, security teams arrived at the table but were unable to establish how the money was being won.

The Casino paid out around $600,000 but refused to cash in the rest, which remained in chips.

The casino insists that state gambling regulations require games to be fair for both the house and the gamblers. They believe that because the group increased the stake, they knew they had an advantage against the house.

The casino has also reportedly filed a lawsuit against a Kansas City playing card manufacturer, contending the cards were allegedly unshuffled, despite being promised to be pre-shuffled and ready to use.

However, Benjamin Dash, who is representing the gamblers, insists his clients did nothing wrong as 'there is absolutely no law in New Jersey that would permit the Golden Nugget to declare the game illegal because it failed to provide shuffled cards'.

There is precedent in Atlantic City. In December the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort failed to preshuffle their cards and used the decks of cards for over three hours, resulting in a $91,000 fine for the casino.