London’s Les Ambassadeurs Casino Takes Saudi Sheikh to Court Over £4M Debt

• Mayfair casino pursues unpaid £4 million gambling credit.
• Sheikh Hassan Enany accused of dodging elite London casino debt.
• Les Ambassadeurs’ lawsuit underscores tensions in VIP gaming world.

London’s swanky Les Ambassadeurs Casino – a venue long synonymous with the world of celebrities and aristocrats – is suing a wealthy Saudi sheikh over £4 million (US$5.3 million) in allegedly unpaid markers.

The exclusive club says businessman Sheikh Hassan Enany, a self-styled philanthropist and entrepreneur, failed to pay the line of credit following a gambling session in 2018, The Daily Mail reports.

“Les A.” as it is affectionately known by its elite clientele, was able to retrieve £200K (US$266K) from the sheikh after his initial check bounced, but since then, nada, and he has been conspicuously absent from the club, which costs more than $30K a year for premium membership.

Bond’s Casino

The venue secured a judgment against Hassan in 2021. According to the Mail, the matter is returning to the UK High Court in early November 2025, likely to enforce or extend that earlier judgment.

Sheikh Enany, aged 82, is a former Saudi diplomat in London who has been a member of Les Ambassadeurs since the 1990s. He is described on his company website as making “important contributions to the national development of Saudi Arabia,” including financing the Mosque of Hassan Enany in Jeddah.

The yacht database SuperYachtFan lists him as owner of the 200-foot yacht “Il Vagabondo”, estimated at £15 million (US$20 million). He also owns a palace in Marbella, Spain, lending weight to the casino’s claim that he has sufficient assets to satisfy the debt.

Aggressive Enforcement

Les Ambassadeurs has a history of aggressively enforcing its debts against recalcitrant sheikhs and delinquent billionaires.

In 2020, the casino secured a similar judgment against Sheikh Salah Hamdan Albluewi, also a Saudi national, for an unpaid debt of £2 million (US$2.6 million), but the High Court refused its request to freeze his assets in the UK.

With London’s VIP gaming market experiencing a downturn, it’s easy to see why Les A. is so eager to pursue these debts through the courts – Enany’s disputed £4 million represents about 10% of the club’s 2024 annual revenue, according to figures from Endole.