
Miriam Aziz in better days, when she still shared a throne along 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 last week although she denied having once lost as much as £3 million ($4,957,781) in just one night of wagering that she had indeed sold some of her gems to pay the IOUs.
In accordance with Aziz, it had been only £500,000 ($826,296), which most likely 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 really 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 stated she was later instructed by Aziz to sell the jewels on Aziz’ behalf when casinos that are several threatened to sue the ex-queen.
Aziz denied this in court, saying, ‘No, I never asked anybody, especially Fatimah Lim, to sell the diamonds, because I would do it myself.’
Lots of Dough to Spread Around
To put this in context, the Sultan is definitely the man that is wealthiest on the planet; 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 high limits and make extravagant wagers without anyone feeling alarmed.
Moreover, it appears the supposedly devout Muslim Aziz a Royal Brunei Airlines trip attendant before becoming the Sultan’s wife prodded Lim to gamble herself, saying she would give both Lim and several other feminine bodyguards bankroll that is gambling the tune of £1,500 ($2,479) a pop. Their London casino sojourns would sometimes cover as much as three casinos nightly.
‘There were people in your wider circle not as enthusiastic about gambling while you there was a notion that it wasn’t in accordance with the actions of a Muslim,’ stated Lim’s defense attorney Rupert Pardoe. ‘You have 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 marriage that is 21-year four kiddies, in 2003. It’s hard to keep track of their various and sundry matrimonies and his progeny, but it appears like the score 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 five years with her royal ex, and who was also stripped of most titles and her allowance, as reportedly was Aziz.
Pennsylvania Lawmaker Proposes Jail Time and Fines for On The Web Gambling
One Pennsylvania lawmaker really wants to make online gambling an offense punishable with jail some time fines (Image: AmericanMafia.com)
Pennsylvania might be one of the largest states population-wise that is seriously considering online gambling, but that doesn’t suggest everybody there is certainly on board quite yet. And while the Keystone State studies the matter and watches how things work with neighboring nj-new jersey, one lawmaker not merely opposes putting online gambling into practice there, but really desires to jail whoever attempts to place a bet online.
Threatening Society, Scavello Says
That’s the plan from State Representative Mario Scavello, who thinks that online gambling is a threat to families and children. He is also concerned that problem gamblers could access web sites and have nobody and no mechanism to stop them from throwing away everything they will have right from the comfort of these own living rooms.
‘Here again, online gambling is well referred to as the crazy West,’ said Scavello. ‘on the web, there’s no one around to keep an optical eye on somebody who doesn’t know when to stop.’
But while opposition to on the web gambling isn’t precisely breaking news, the specifics of Scavello’s proposition have surely drawn attention.
The bill he has put forward would actively punish online gamblers with fines and potentially even jail time. That would offer Pennsylvania a number of the nation’s harshest punishments for on line gambling, rivaling Washington https://aussie-pokies.club/players-paradise-slot/ State for that title.
A first violation would be a summary offense and would carry a fine of up to $300 and up to 90 days in jail under Scavello’s bill. Things get much worse for a second offense: at that point, the crime turns into a misdemeanor, the maximum fine rises to $2,500 and offenders could be jailed for up to a year.
‘I genuinely believe that if you hit individuals in their wallets, we may start to split straight down regarding the lawbreakers,’ Scavello stated.
Adelson Backs Bill
Needless to say, Scavello’s bill was instantly supported by Sheldon Adelson’s Coalition to Stop Web Gambling (CSIG). That team pointed to a present 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 regarding the Pennsylvania Legislature to vote in favor of this bill and send a powerful message that online gaming has no place in American culture,’ CSIG stated in a declaration.
Along with concerns throughout the ease of access to online gambling sites, Scavello also argued that online gaming could siphon cash away from Pennsylvania’s successful casinos that are land-based potentially costing the state income and jobs. He also claimed that online gambling could be employed for criminal purposes, particularly money laundering.
The proposal comes at a time when Pennsylvania is actively seeking ways to expand the state’s gaming industry to compete with neighboring states. They have already approved bars that are allowing other venues to host gambling machines, and Governor Tom Corbett has stated that the state lottery should also offer keno games to Pennsylvania residents. Online gambling has not yet been placed in to the continuing state budget, but lawmakers have already been learning it for future consideration.
Scavello’s bill has found some supporters in the continuing state legislature, particularly among fellow Republicans.
‘We realize that online gambling causes a great deal of exploitation by various dubious characters that are out there,’ said State Representative David Millard. ‘Being addicted to gaming is such as 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. However in the case of the united kingdom gambling market, two recent studies have made it appear that the industry is both down and up at the time that is same. In reality, it’s just a matter of what you would like to look at it, as the world of gambling is changing, and mobile gaming is becoming exponentially bigger 12 months after year.
Slight Drop in Gambling Numbers Overall
First, there’s a report that is new from the British Gambling Commission that presents fewer residents gambled in 2013 than in 2012. It is only a small drop, however: 55 percent of UK residents said they gambled over the four days before they were surveyed in 2013, contrasted to 57 per cent the year before.
That report also provided a look at whom is gambling and how frequently they’re doing it. A total of 60 per cent of male respondents reported gambling at least once a month, while that quantity was just 50 percent for women. Most gamblers said they only played once a week, or less.
The commission also looked at online gambling, and saw that participation in Internet betting was up also as general involvement had dropped. Some 15 % said they had participated in online gambling over the past a month, up from 14 % a before year.
A large percentage of that online gambling is done through great britain’s National Lottery, which is also the most used form of gambling in the country overall. In-person gambling was still the most popular kind of betting though, with nearly three-quarters of those who said they gambled saying that had only done so offline.
Mobile Gaming Is Growing
What do those figures actually mean? They show that online gambling continues to grow, but still has a great deal more room for expansion. And one thing that wasn’t covered in the Gambling Commission report was mobile gaming, which includes grown extremely in simply the last year.
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 just the largest companies, it becomes clear that mobile video gaming is the near future for online operators and that the near future may, in fact, be right here currently.
For instance, William Hill has seen fast growth in how much of their sports guide income is now coming from mobile players. In 2012, just 26 percent of their sports book return arrived from mobile betting. But by the 2nd quarter of 2013, that number had already raised to 33 %, and the company expects that to go above 40 % by the finish of 2014. Extremely, William Hill reported that year-over-year profits for mobile gaming had increased 298 per cent from 2012 to 2013.
Others saw lower but nonetheless dramatic prices of mobile development. Paddy Power saw a 112 percent increase in mobile revenue in 2013, while Betfair said mobile activity was up 64 percent year-over-year. And sports guide Bet365 says that 50 % of their customers now come from mobile devices.
In line with the OddsWinner report, the development in mobile betting is because of numerous factors, such as the increased usage of smartphones in the UK. More businesses are also releasing apps, in place of forcing customers to link through their mobile browsers per se.
‘Smartphones can now deliver the ongoing services required allowing customers to bet regarding the move,’ said Push Technology CEO Sean Bowen. ‘they are carried by us every-where and therefore can bet at anytime, anywhere. There are many more people with mobiles than PCs.’
Other factors range from the rise in interest for in-play wagering on recreations, and marketing that is mobile-specific by the major UK bookmakers.
