High Roller Casinos

Ahmed al-Reyaysa

In 2008, Grosvenor Casinos in London has lost a claim against the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) against a high roller from the Middle East called Ahmed al-Reyaysa.

They were going after more than £7 million in cheques that were bounced by Ahmed al-Reyaysa - a regular London whale, who reportedly gambled £99 million in a year and a half.

Mr Al-Reyaysa signed 2 cheques from his NBAD accounts for around £3 million each, to play at the Clermont Club on Berkley Square in London. He lost the money at roulette. Grosvenor sued Mr Al-Reyaysa when it could not collect the money from his bank, and won a repayment order against him, but once he was back in the UAE, this order was not worth the paper it was written on.

Ahmed al-Reyays was a regular at most of London's exclusive casinos including 50 St James, Aspinall's and the Ritz.. He rented the top suites in London's most exclusive hotels and stayed for months at a time.

He is thought to have got his wealth from his father, a close associate of the multi-billionaire leader of the oil-rich UAE state of Ajman.