Famous “Fat Man” Taking London Casinos to Court.

The “Fat Man” Taking Casinos to the House.

One of the most secretive and yet biggest casino whales on the planet has finally come out to the public and shown his face.  And for good reason - he’s suing 6 of the biggest London casinos for what he claims as being “illegally allowed credit” which he would eventually lose and then of course have to pay back.

The “whale” in question is Fouad al-Zayat, a Syrian billionaire who is commonly known as the “Fat Man,” and he has been a staple among a fraternity of high stakes regulars who have frequented casinos in the UK for the past 15 years or so.  It has been rumored that al-Zayat has lost £191 million at these establishments over the past decade, mainly playing roulette. That’s the equivalent of $350 million in U.S. dollars!

The “Fat Man” sat down in an exclusive interview last weekend with the UK Observer blasting the casinos’ ethics policies and coming to the simple conclusion that he had been tricked by management into losing so much money over the years.

‘The casinos woo you, they make it their business to become your friends,’ he said. ‘I have been called by them on birthdays, and relatives’ birthdays; they try to become part of your life. When you go to them, you are offered the best hotel rooms and anything you may want, in order to get you to continue gambling. If that means giving you credit, and breaking the law, they will do it.’

Some of the London Clubs he was frequenting were actually giving credit lines to al-Zayat despite him not having the cash on hand during a few of his trips.  There were points where 2 or 3 lenders would walk the casino floors in case he needed more money to gamble - all while the casino managers seem to turn a blind eye to it.  It seemed like they were focused on one thing…making sure the “Fat Man” would go bust.

Fouad al-Zayat’s fight to take down these casinos that he felt “scammed” him out of hundreds of millions has already worked once, when he took down a £2 million lawsuit against the popular Mayfair club Aspinallis earlier in the year.  He and his legal team are now prepared to go to war against 6 other top establishments, and he’s hoping to recoup even more of his previous losses on the grounds of casino negligence and fraud.  If he can win this, he stands to bring back possibly $300 million+ USD - but it’ll be an uphill battle to say the least.  The casinos have a solid legal team representing them and they will undoubtedly not let some casino whale try to take them “to the house.”