Ahmed Zayat to New York Observer: ‘I Have Never in My Life Bet on Sports’
American Pharoah owner Ahmed Zayat denied Gamblng911.com Publisher Chris Costigan assertion, courtesy of the offshore sportsbook operators, that he was betting both sports and horse racing. The bookmakers and an agent claim Zayat owed approximately $2 million in gambling debts.
Costigan spoke to the New York Observer on Friday:
“I’m hearing from more than one person that this guy Zayat owes a lot of debts. I’ve been dealing with these guys since ’97 and I know them really well, and they don’t talk to a lot of people so they are pretty much telling me, ‘Look, Chris, this guy owes us a lot of money.'” Mr. Costigan was under the impression that Mr. Zayat had been betting not just on horses but on sports. “I want to say sports but don’t hold me to it. I’m not 100% sure.”
One of Gambling911.com's sources has since come forward to back that claim.
“He bet both sports and horses,"
Zayat says it’s all lies.
“I have never in my life bet on sports. I only bet on horses. I take that back, I once bet on the Super Bowl.”
An agent for offshore bookmaker Tradewinds, Howard Rubinsky of Florida, has filed a case in a New Jersey court alleging Zayat lost $2 million in offshore betting and left him holding the bag.
“We asked for a summary judgment. It’s meritless, to be thrown out. It’s garbage. It’s rubbish. I can’t tell people what not to write, but anybody with half a brain can see through this. There’s not a single – single – single, anything of evidence in this. There is no contract. No conversation. No proof. It’s an absolute fiction.”
Zayat added: “These (accusations) are fraud. I’m a victim of it. Anybody who has half a brain can read through it and say there’s no way somebody of my caliber would owe somebody money from 2003, 12 years almost ago.” He completely denies placing any bets of any kind through Mr. Rubinsky, telling the Observer, “He’s talking about me betting overseas in Costa Rica. I’ve never in my life been in Costa Rica. A casino line of credit, like it’s a fiction. I haven’t even been in the business. In other words, I started Zayat Stables in 2006 or 2005. He’s talking 2003. I was in Egypt, as CEO of a beverages company. I was working 18 days a day. It’s an insanity. Nothing adds up.”
Zayat's horse, American Pharoah, could become the first Triple Crown winner in four decades should he be victorious at next month's Belmont Stakes race.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
