Gambling Ex-Wife of Sultan of Brunei Accuses Bodyguard of £12m Theft
May I obtain a true mortgage with bad credit?
February 28, 2020Japan No Longer Offers Vegas Casino Companies’ Undivided Attention, as Brazil Emerges as Target
February 28, 2020
Miriam Aziz in better days, when she still shared a throne with her husband that is now-ex Sultan of Brunei (Image: AFP/Getty)
The 59-year-old ex-wife of the Sultan of Brunei has fessed up in court to some major gambling arrears played out in London’s toniest casinos, and the subsequent sale of £1million ($1,652,593) worth of fine jewelry to pay off some of her accrued gambling debts in a tale worthy of any great novelist’s plotlines, Miriam Aziz.
The hijab-covered woman testified in Isleworth Crown Court the other day that she had indeed sold some of her gems to spend the IOUs, although she denied having once lost as much as £3 million ($4,957,781) in only one night of wagering.
Based on Aziz, it had been only £500,000 ($826,296), which probably for an ex-Sultaness is merely chump change. But wait, because the plot thickens in this tale of broken hearts, broken allegiances and broken bank accounts.
Former Bonded Birdies Sing
Aziz also gave testimony against her feminine badminton-coach-turned-bodyguard that is former Lim, who stands accused of herself stealing £12m ($19,831,126) worth of diamonds from Aziz, substituting phony and essentially valueless copies within their stead.
The 35-year-old Lim says that during a spree that is 20-month Aziz took her sizable retinue of support staff with her to gambling venues around the globe. Lim said she ended up being later instructed by Aziz to sell the jewels on Aziz’ behalf whenever several casinos reportedly threatened to sue the ex-queen.
Aziz denied this in court, saying, ‘No, I never asked anybody, especially Fatimah Lim, to offer the diamonds, it myself. because we would do’
Lots of Dough to Spread Around
To put this in context, the Sultan is definitely the man that is wealthiest on earth; and so the ex-Missus’ visits to casinos in popular spots like London, Singapore and Macau could hardly have raised an eyebrow. At first, anyway. Having a £2.5m ($4,131,484) credit limit at upscale clubs like London’s Clermont in Berkeley Square, Aziz could obviously play limits that are high make extravagant wagers without anybody feeling alarmed.
Moreover, it seems the supposedly devout Muslim Aziz a Royal Brunei Airlines trip attendant before becoming the Sultan’s wife prodded Lim to gamble herself, saying she’d give both Lim and other female bodyguards gambling bankroll to the tune of £1,500 ($2,479) a pop. Their London casino sojourns would sometimes protect as much as three casinos nightly.
‘There had been people in your wider group not as enthusiastic about gambling that it was not in accordance with the activities of a Muslim,’ said Lim’s defense attorney Rupert Pardoe as you there was a perception. ‘You’ve got hatched a plot to blame Fatimah Lim for the theft of these rings and also this diamond bracelet.’
Lim stands accused of three counts of theft in the still-ongoing trial.
Aziz’ ex-husband Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah divorced Aziz after a 21-year wedding and four children, in 2003. It’s difficult to keep track of their various and sundry matrimonies and his progeny, but it appears like the rating is: one royal consort that is long-term the stripped-of-all-titles and now ex, Aziz; and a former Malaysian television hostess who only made it 5 years with her royal ex, and who was also stripped of all titles and her allowance, as apparently was Aziz.
Pennsylvania Lawmaker Proposes Jail Time and Fines for Online Gambling
One Pennsylvania lawmaker wants to make online gambling an offense punishable with jail time and fines (Image: AmericanMafia.com)
Pennsylvania might be one of many largest states population-wise that is seriously considering on line gambling, but that doesn’t suggest everybody else there is on board quite yet. Even though the Keystone State studies the issue and watches how things work in neighboring nj-new jersey, one lawmaker not only opposes online that is putting gambling practice there, but really desires to jail anybody who tries to place a bet on the Internet.
Threatening Society, Scavello Says
That’s the plan from State Representative Mario Scavello, who believes that online gambling is a threat to families and kids. He’s also concerned that problem gamblers could access web sites and have nobody and no mechanism to stop them from throwing out everything they’ve right from the convenience of these own living spaces.
‘Here again, online gambling is well called the crazy West,’ said Scavello. ‘on the web, there is no one around to keep an optical attention on somebody who doesn’t know when to stop.’
But while opposition to on the web gambling isn’t precisely news that is breaking the specifics of Scavello’s proposition have absolutely drawn attention.
The bill he has placed forward would actively punish online gamblers with fines and potentially even jail time. That would provide Pennsylvania a few of the nation’s harshest punishments for on line gambling, rivaling Washington State for that title.
Under Scavello’s bill, an initial violation could be a summary offense and would carry a fine of up to $300 and up to 90 days in jail. Things get much even worse for a offense that is second at that time, players paradise casino app the criminal activity becomes a misdemeanor, the maximum fine rises to $2,500 and offenders could be jailed for up to a year.
‘I think that if you hit individuals inside their wallets, we can start to break down on the lawbreakers,’ Scavello stated.
Adelson Backs Bill
Needless to say, Scavello’s bill was straight away supported by Sheldon Adelson’s Coalition to Stop Web Gambling (CSIG). That group pointed to a recent quinnipiac poll that found that 62 percent of registered voters in Pennsylvania opposed the regulation and legalization of on the web gambling in their state.
‘We call on the Pennsylvania Legislature to vote in support of this bill and send a powerful message that online gaming has no place in American culture,’ CSIG stated in a statement.
Along with concerns within the ease of access to on the web gambling web sites, Scavello additionally argued that online gaming could siphon money far from Pennsylvania’s effective land-based casinos, potentially costing the state income and jobs. He also claimed that online gambling could be useful for criminal purposes, particularly money laundering.
The proposition comes at any given time when Pennsylvania is ways that are actively seeking expand the state’s gaming industry to compete with neighboring states. They have already authorized allowing bars and other venues to host gambling machines, and Governor Tom Corbett has said that the state lottery should also offer keno games to Pennsylvania residents. Online gambling has perhaps not yet been placed in to the continuing state budget, but lawmakers are studying it for future consideration.
Scavello’s bill has found some supporters within the continuing state legislature, particularly among fellow Republicans.
‘We realize that online gambling contributes to a whole lot of exploitation by various dubious characters that are out there,’ said State Representative David Millard. ‘Being addicted to gaming is such as for instance a cancer in our community.’
UK Mobile App Gambling Growth Going Strong
Mobile gambling particularly sports wagering has been growing exponentially in the UK, while traditional Internet play has fallen (Image: Courier-Mail)
What goes up, must come down. But in the case of great britain gambling market, two present studies are making it appear that the industry is both down and up at the time that is same. The truth is, it’s simply a matter of what you would like to have a look at it, as the globe of gambling is changing, and gaming that is mobile becoming exponentially larger 12 months after year.
Slight Drop in Gambling Numbers Overall
First, there’s a new report out from the UK Gambling Commission that displays fewer residents gambled in 2013 than in 2012. It is just a small drop, however: 55 percent of UK residents said that they gambled over the four months before they were surveyed in 2013, compared to 57 % the season before.
That report also offered a view whom is gambling and how frequently they’re doing it. An overall total of 60 % of male respondents reported gambling at least once a while that number was just 50 percent for women month. Many gamblers said they only played once a week, or less.
The commission additionally looked at online gambling, and saw that participation in Web betting had been up also as general involvement had dropped. Some 15 per cent said they had participated in online gambling over the final a month, up from 14 % a year before.
A big percentage of that online gambling is done through the UK’s National Lottery, which is also typically the most popular form of gambling in the world overall. In-person gambling was still the many popular kind of betting though, with nearly three-quarters of those who said they gambled stating that had only done so offline.
Mobile Gaming Is Growing
What do those true numbers actually mean? They show that online gambling continues to still grow, but includes a great deal more space for expansion. And something thing that wasn’t covered in the Gambling Commission report ended up being mobile gaming, that has grown enormously in simply the year that is last.
That growth that is expansive illustrated in a report by OddsWinner.com, which studied the web and mobile revenues of the top British bookmakers. Looking at just the largest companies, it becomes clear that mobile gaming is the future for online operators and that the long term may, in reality, be here currently.
For instance, William Hill has seen fast growth in how much of these activities guide income is now originating from mobile players. In 2012, just 26 percent of their sports guide turnover arrived from mobile wagering. But by the quarter that is second of, that number had already raised to 33 percent, and the company expects that to go above 40 per cent by the conclusion of 2014. Incredibly, William Hill reported that year-over-year revenues for mobile gaming had increased 298 per cent from 2012 to 2013.
Others saw lower but nevertheless dramatic rates of mobile growth. Paddy Power saw a 112 percent increase in mobile revenue in 2013, while Betfair said mobile activity had been up 64 percent year-over-year. And sports book Bet365 says that 50 % of their customers now come from cellular devices.
In line with the OddsWinner report, the growth in mobile betting is due to many facets, like the usage that is increased of in the UK. More businesses are releasing apps, instead of forcing customers to connect through their mobile browsers per se.
‘Smartphones are now able to deliver the solutions required to permit customers to bet on the move,’ said Push Technology CEO Sean Bowen. ‘they are carried by us everywhere and therefore can bet at anytime, anywhere. There are many people with mobiles than PCs.’
Other factors include the rise in interest for in-play wagering on sports, and mobile-specific marketing campaigns by the major UK bookmakers.
