8 casino winners wind up losers

AT LEAST eight lucky casino winners who have left SugarHouse Casino with big smiles and bulging wallets since June didn't have long to ponder how they'd spend their fortunes: Thugs followed them from the casino, ambushed them at home, and hustled off with their winnings.

On Friday, Philadelphia police asked for the public's help in identifying the serial robbers, who first struck June 19.

The heists occurred during the overnight hours in various neighborhoods throughout the city. The robbers escaped with anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $17,000, police said. Their total haul: At least $44,500. The most recent attack occurred Tuesday.

Twice, the robbers used a Taser on their victims, police said. They struck one victim with a brick, punched and kicked another, and hit a third in the head. In one attack, the victim fought back, biting a robber's finger - prompting police to add "finger injury" to their suspect description.

Police released a video of a suspected spotter who watched customers cash their winnings and then alerted his confederates.

In all but one of the cases, the victims were Asian, police said. Their attackers were black; further descriptions vary.

Police said they will investigate whether other muggings of casino customers can be connected to this team of robbers.

SugarHouse is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the robbers. Police urged tipsters to call 9-1-1 or Northeast Detectives at 215- 686-3153.