True Grit

What is True Grit?

The founder of a collapsed British “shadow bank” accused of misappropriating £1.3 billion (US$1.7 billion) was reportedly a prolific high roller who bet up to £60,000 ($80,000) per roulette spin at London’s exclusive casinos.

Paresh Raja’s mortgage lending company, Market Financial Solutions (MFS), collapsed into administration in February amid allegations of massive financial irregularities.

A source familiar with Raja’s gambling habits told The Telegraph he was a regular visitor to the upmarket Palm Beach Casino and Colony Club in Mayfair, one of London’s most affluent districts.

How to play True Grit

Other clubs that hold agreements with unlicensed operators include Chelsea (8XBet), Tottenham Hotspur (VSBet) and Nottingham Forest (FUN88).

Entain highlighted data from H2 Gambling Capital that warned black market stakes in the UK are expected to nearly double from £17 billion ($22.7 billion) in 2025 to over £33 billion by 2028.

Entain emphasised offshore operators do not employ the same player protection measures and anti-money laundering standards that licensed companies must.

What is True Grit?

This data was cross referenced with SimilarWeb traffic analysis to confirm the scale of activity. In some markets, the number of illegal sites being actively marketed was much higher than those that have local licences to operate.

This was true of France, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Cyprus, Belgium, Spain, among others.

Nicole cut her teeth in local news rooms at home in Gibraltar, and helped to establish the peninsula’s first online-only broadcaster.