Nelly’s arrest didn’t stop him from collecting $50,000 in winnings

Nelly‘s arrest at a Missouri casino didn’t stop him from cashing in his big winnings on a slot machine … we’re told the rapper walked away with a big chunk of change.

The hitmaker’s lawyer, Scott Rosenblumtells TMZ … his client cashed out Wednesday morning from a $50,000 slot machine jackpot at the Hollywood Casino in St. Charles, Missouri. That’s the good news that comes with Nelly’s bad news: As we reported, the win led to him being booked on an active arrest warrant.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ … Nelly initially thought the arrest was a hoax or a prank because he was in the middle of cashing in his winnings when a background check revealed the outstanding warrant.

We’re told Nelly was first handcuffed to a chair… with one hand free to collect the rest of the money.

After we collected all the money, we were told that the police cuffed both of Nelly’s wrists and took him through the casino.

Nelly’s attorney claims an arresting officer told his client this necessary to conduct a background check before giving him the money.

The rapper insists he had previously won larger amounts at the same casino without undergoing a background check. During this background check, an active warrant for a previous traffic stop came up…prompting the arresting officer to search his belongings, where they allegedly found ecstasy.

Nelly’s attorney tells us prosecutors have yet to charge the rapper with drug possession … and now he wants the arresting officer investigated, claiming Nelly was searched without probable cause.