Another Casino Hounds Datin Over £1m Debt

Socialite Datin Arina Abdullah, who lost a cool £2 million (RM14 million) at London's Ritz Club casino last year, is being sought by yet another London casino for a £1 million debt.

Early this year, Grosvenor Casino Ltd sued the former wife of a royalty at a London High Court to recover the sum.

Arina went on a gambling spree in London last August.

"When she turned up at Grosvenor Casino, a quick check was done on her. The casino called Ritz and found that she had a credit guarantee from a Malaysian bank," a source told The Malay Mail.

Arina, who had earlier lost £2 million at Ritz casino, was given a £1 million credit to gamble at the casino.

She lost the money on roulette, blackjack and stud poker in a single night.

The source said she issued several cheques to the casino but all bounced.

"That was when the casino initiated the suit against Arina and her bank to recover the money."

The casino also sued a Malaysian bank - which had guaranteed her credit through a reference letter - to recover the debt.

A source told The Malay Mail that the bank is negotiating an out-of-court settlement and had sent a representative to London last month to discuss the matter.

"The bank had proposed to pay one-third of Arina's debts to both casinos," said the source.

"They are now waiting for the casinos to respond."

The Malaysian bank did not challenge the suits of the two casinos.

"The bank opted for an out-of-court settlement to avoid a messy trial and costly legal fees."

Grosvenor Casinos is owned by Rank Group Plc. It has 33 casinos in Britain.

The Malay Mail had reported that the Ritz had registered a London High Court judgment in a court in Penang last July to recover the RM14 million which Arina owed the casino.

The exercise was initiated as part of an attempt by the casino to enable them to recover the debts in Malaysia, including declaring her a bankrupt, attaching her properties or freezing her bank accounts.

The Malay Mail also reported last November that Arina, who was divorced from her husband in 2002, lost £2 million at the casino.

The club granted her a £1 million cheque-cashing facility on her first visit to the casino but Arina lost all the money in a single night.

She returned two weeks later and asked for another £1 million and lost £976,000 (RM6.83 million).

Her six cheques bounced when the Ritz casino tried to cash them.