HOUSTON, (Reuters) – A swanky casino on the Las  Vegas strip is suing accused swindler Allen Stanford for  repayment of a gambling debt of more than a quarter million  dollars, according to court papers.

Bellagio LLC seeks to recover the $258,480 debt Stanford  accrued in January 2009 plus 18 percent interest, according to  the lawsuit filed in state court in Nevada on Tuesday.

Stanford is accused of ru nning an alleged $7 billion Ponzi  scheme that regulators described as “massive.” The fraud  centred on certificates of deposit (CDs) issued by the firm’s  offshore bank in Antigua, prosecutors said.

Stanford used proceeds from the CDs to fund a lavish  lifestyle that included a fleet of private jets and luxury  homes in Texas, Miami and the Caribbean, according to U.S.  prosecutors.

Stanford’s girlfriend paid for the trip to Las Vegas as a  birthday treat for the Texas financier, Dick DeGuerin,  Stanford’s attorney told a bond hearing in July.