Resident of New Jersey has decided to sue the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada after claiming the off-Strip resort stole casino chips and detained him illegally. Thom-Matthew Kho was reportedly caught counting cards while playing blackjack, when employees of the casino took $3,600 in gaming chips and kept him detained without cause.

The instance took place back in late August and the gambler has now filed a lawsuit with the Clark County District Court. According to the filing, the Hard Rock has yet to contact the Gaming Board of Nevada to discuss the dispute and points out the $3,625 in chips were taken from the player. The resort has now commented on the instance.

Robert Nersesian, an attorney in Las Vegas, is representing Kho, with the gambler claiming that card counting is not illegal. The state of Nevada does not have a law against the activity, but anyone caught card counting can be asked to leave if the casino chooses to do so.

The lawsuit states that Kho was at the Hard Rock from the 22nd to the 23rd and was playing blackjack, participating in card counting, and felt like he was being watched. He then made the decision to leave the casino and went to cash in his chips when he was requested to show his ID. The player is not required to show this information and refused the request.

It was then that security approached the gambler and demanded to see his ID. Kho still refused and said he wanted to leave. It was then he was handcuffed and detained. He was handcuff in front of other gamblers then taken to the security office. He was searched and copies of his driver’s license as well as photo were taken without his permission.

In the lawsuit, Kho is claiming he suffered from physical injury as well as theft, false imprisonment and battery. The gambler is seeking damages of over $10,000 plus punitive damages and attorney’s fees.