Man jailed, heavily fined for gambling game on Dubai street

A man, holder of a visit visa, who organised a gambling game in a public place, has been sentenced to three months in jail and ordered to pay a Dh100,000 fine by a Dubai court.

The case dates back to January 7, this year, when the 53-year-old Pakistani defendant was caught luring passersby to a gambling game on a street in Naif. He was interrogated at Naif police station.

Prosecutors accused the defendant of collecting amounts of money starting from Dh100, worth of bets, from people, which they would lose if the game did not work according to a "specific way".

The Court of First Instance ordered that the defendant be deported after completing his jail term and paying the fine.

A policeman said the defendant was caught in the act near Naif park. "It was shortly before 5pm. I was on duty and a municipality employee was with me. Other colleagues were also around. The accused was spotted organising a game on a sidewalk and people were gathered around him."

According to the officer's testimony during the public prosecution investigation, the game is that a belt is placed down in the form of a circle on an ironing table and a screwdriver placed within that circle. The player has to pull the belt. If the tool remains within the circle, the player gets his money back and wins an equal sum from the defendant. He loses the money if the tool moves out of the circle.

The police apprehended the man and seized the stuff he used in the game. "He confessed to the charge of organising a gamble in public when we questioned him," the officer told the prosecutor.
The accused has the right to appeal the ruling within 15 days from the issuance date.

mary@khaleejtimes.com

Marie Nammour

Originally from Lebanon, Marie has been covering the Dubai Courts and the Public Prosecution, immigration and labour issues often, Lebanese community-related affairs and the Dubai International Film Festival. A graduate from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Jounieh, a city to the north of Beirut, Marie worked as an in-house reporter, covering international affairs for the LBCI and the LBC Sat (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International), a leading TV station back home and a legal translator for Sagesse, a renowned law college in the heart of the Lebanese capital. Marie speaks fluently Arabic, French, English and Spanish. She is fond of travelling, psychology, learning more and of the French literature.