Casino Battles Businessman in Court
Saudi businessman Sheikh Hassan Enany is facing a legal battle over claims that he owes a British casino millions of pounds.
Sheikh Hassan, who is best known in Saudi Arabia for chairing the Enany Group, a consortium of more than 100 companies and funding the Hassan Enany mosque in Jeddah, is facing legal action from Les Ambassadeurs.
Ironically, restrictions on gambling in Saudi Arabia mean that people in the Kingdom have to look elsewhere to bet. One potential option is cryptocurrency-based casino websites, which are also the method that allows Qataris to gamble online, among others. These sites also attract customers from regions with more liberal gambling laws, because they often offer larger jackpots and allow players to bypass convoluted know your customer (KYC) procedures.
However, the Daily Mail has reported that Sheikh Hassan, who owns a mansion in Saudi Arabia and a £15 million yacht called Il Vagobondo, was offered £3 million in credit by the casino, which is perhaps best known for playing a part in the first James Bond movie, Doctor No, in 2018, with a further £1 million added not long after.
When Sheikh Hassan tried to pay off the credit the cheque was “dishonoured”. The case is set to go to the UK’s high court on Thursday, November 8.
New Saudi Tennis Tournament Planned For 2028
In other news, Saudi Arabia’s growth in the world of sports and live entertainment keeps on going, with a major tennis tournament set to take place in the country from 2028. The Kingdom will play host to the 10th ATP Masters 1000 event, joining Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Toronto/Montreal, Cincinnati, Shanghai, and Paris in hosting the events.
Andrea Gaudenzi, the chairman of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), said that Saudi Arabia had shown a strong commitment to the sport, and was looking forward to the event starting. While it has not been confirmed precisely where the Saudi Masters will take place, it will feature 56 players and be played on a hard court. The event will not be a mandatory tour event, however.
And the tournament will not replace the already well-established Six Kings event, which sees half a dozen of the world’s six best male tennis players compete in Saudi Arabia.
New Grand Mufti Appointed
Moving on from physical to spiritual matters, Saudi Arabia has a new top religious scholar.
Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan was appointed as the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, according to Saudi state media and reported by the Associated Press, by King Salman on the advice of his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The new Grand Mufti, 90, took over the role after the death of his predecessor, Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh, in September.
One potential source of friction could come between the new Grand Mufti and the Royal Family could, bizarrely, come in the form of video games.
Sheikh Saleh issued a fatwa condemning mobile phone app Pokemon Go as a form of gambling in 2016, but Crown Prince Mohammed holds shares in both Pokemon creators Nintendo and Pokemon Go developers Niantic.
There’s always something going on in Saudi Arabia. Whether it’s legal battles, sporting events, or spiritual matters, here are some of the latest news stories from the Kingdom.
Casino Battles Businessman in Court
Saudi businessman Sheikh Hassan Enany is facing a legal battle over claims that he owes a British casino millions of pounds.
Sheikh Hassan, who is best known in Saudi Arabia for chairing the Enany Group, a consortium of more than 100 companies and funding the Hassan Enany mosque in Jeddah, is facing legal action from Les Ambassadeurs.
However, the Daily Mail has reported that Sheikh Hassan, who owns a mansion in Saudi Arabia and a £15 million yacht called Il Vagobondo, was offered £3 million in credit by the casino, which is perhaps best known for playing a part in the first James Bond movie, Doctor No, in 2018, with a further £1 million added not long after.
When Sheikh Hassan tried to pay off the credit the cheque was “dishonoured”. The case is set to go to the UK’s high court on Thursday, November 8.
New Saudi Tennis Tournament Planned For 2028
In other news, Saudi Arabia’s growth in the world of sports and live entertainment keeps on going, with a major tennis tournament set to take place in the country from 2028. The Kingdom will play host to the 10th ATP Masters 1000 event, joining Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Toronto/Montreal, Cincinnati, Shanghai, and Paris in hosting the events.
Andrea Gaudenzi, the chairman of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), said that Saudi Arabia had shown a strong commitment to the sport, and was looking forward to the event starting. While it has not been confirmed precisely where the Saudi Masters will take place, it will feature 56 players and be played on a hard court. The event will not be a mandatory tour event, however.
And the tournament will not replace the already well-established Six Kings event, which sees half a dozen of the world’s six best male tennis players compete in Saudi Arabia.
New Grand Mufti Appointed
Moving on from physical to spiritual matters, Saudi Arabia has a new top religious scholar.
Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan was appointed as the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, according to Saudi state media and reported by the Associated Press, by King Salman on the advice of his his, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The new Grand Mufti, 90, took over the role after the death of his predecessor, Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh, in September.
One potential source of friction could come between the new Grand Mufti and the Royal Family could, bizarrely, come in the form of video games.
Sheikh Saleh issued a fatwa condemning mobile phone app Pokemon Go as a form of gambling in 2016, but Crown Prince Mohammed holds shares in both Pokemon creators Nintendo and Pokemon Go developers Niantic.
