A Syrian billionaire's gambling debts

Finally, a player who didn't want to pay a £2 million casino debt has been enforced to pay up by a judge. Fouad al-Zayat, a Syrian billionaire identified in gambling spheres as the "Fat Man", withdrawn the cash in a single session of blackjack.

The disagreement came in the middle of a 12-year run of losses at Aspinalls in Mayfair. While the debt continued to be uncertain, Mr. al-Zayat used coins and debit cards to bet £41 million at the casino and lost £10 million.

Damian Aspinall, the London club's landlord, requested a court order for payment of the debt that dated back to March 2000. He also gained a bitter order on Mr. al-Zayat's possessions which included a Boeing 747 and a £158,000 Rolls-Royce.

Nevertheless, the casino waited 6 years, the end of the legal period after which the cheque would have been legally valueless, until it began actions against him.

The Judge David Steel ruled against Mr. al-Zayat, who owns an aviation business and has residences in Cyprus and London.