Billionaire Won’t Pay Casino Debt Because ‘Devil Made Him Do It’

3rd July 2015 10:13 AM

A businessman has shocked the High Court by claiming that it was the devil’s fault that he gambled away £2 million at the Ritz Club in Mayfair. Safa Abdulla Al Geabury, who is worth more than $1 billion, does not believe he should have to pay his debts because he is a gambling addict and staff at the casino were aware of his problem.

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Al Geabury is giving evidence through an Arabic interpreter and the court has been told this week that he spoke to a psychiatrist about where he felt the blame lay. “The devil made me gamble,” the court has heard.

The 52-year-old is being sued by the Ritz Hotel Casino Ltd for the £2 million he lost, as well as more than £200,000 in interest on the alleged debt. However, Al Geabury has also launched a counterclaim, suing the Ritz Club for up to £5.4 million to cover past losses. He insists that he met a representative from the casino whilst watching an Arsenal football match at the Emirates Stadium and was asked to come along to the club. When he said that he had a gambling addiction, he claims that he was offered £5 million in credit.

The Ritz Club argues that Al Geabury signed a document at one stage to confirm that he did not have a problem with gambling, before running up the alleged debts. Al Geabury signed another form after making the £2 million loss to exclude himself from the casino forever, writing that he was an addict and accusing the casino of criminal behaviour.

Al Geabury believes staff at the casino had a responsibility to prevent him squandering so much money because he told them repeatedly that he had an uncontrollable urge to place bets, and he is set to learn his fate in the next few days as the hearing heads to a conclusion.

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