The billionaire gambler who bounced a cheque for £2m at London’s Ritz Casino has failed to defend himself successfully in court, despite claiming that the operator should not have served him in the first place as he had self-excluded himself from the casino.
Safa Abdulla Al-Geabury wrote a cheque for £2m of roulette chips on February 19 2014, but when it was returned unpaid operator The Ritz Hotel Casino Ltd went to court to retrieve the amount.
However Al-Geabury said that he had self-excluded himself from the premises in November 2009 and that by allowing him to gamble, the club had breached its gaming licence.
But Mrs Justice Simler ruled in favour of the Ritz Hotel Casino Ltd. “The defendant’s claims fail and are dismissed,” she said. “He was the author of his own misfortunes.”
The Ritz Club said in a statement: “We welcome today’s decision from the High Court. As a responsible provider of gambling we are committed to ensuring the strictest standards of care towards both our customers and staff at all times.”