When a new company is setting itself up to take the world by storm with its fantastic new product, one of the first things they will want to do is make sure they have a great team to deliver and market the product, an excellent and experienced management team to run the business, and in the case of companies selling a regulated product, a wise and accomplished legal counsel.
At Emeralds Holdings Limited, trading as Lotto Billions, they have taken a whole new approach. Apart from the fact that their product is hardly a game changer and their team and management of dubious reputation, they have taken the unprecedented step of employing the services of a Legal Counsel who is more adept at breaking the law than practicing it. None other than Mr Khalid Virani!
Whilst in some circles Virani claims to be a lawyer, it seems his basic grasp of the most rudimentary of laws leaves a lot to be desired.
By looking at the following link it is clear that Virani does not understand the laws that relate to which side of the road to drive on in the UK, the legal limit for alcohol consumption before driving and the seriousness of disposing of evidence (in front of police officers).
As well as covering his face for the cameras when attending court since this encounter with the long arm of the law, Virani has gone to great lengths to try to hide the fact that this story relates to him. His LinkedIn profile being a case in point. He suddenly went from being known as Khalid Virani to simply Khalid V.
But it does not end there. Based on his horrific history of dissolved and liquidated companies, it looks like he lacks the capacity to understand basic company law as well. When you add this to the fact that he acted as a co-director of his father’s hotel group that was taken to court for their wanton breach of basic fire safety regulations, placing both staff and guests “at risk of serious injury or death”, you really have to wonder what law does this guy know about?
https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/hotel-boss-admits-fire-safety…/
Well, given his latest role as Legal Counsel for Lotto Billions, it might be safe to assume he knows about gambling laws and regulations. Unfortunately, it looks like this is yet another area of the law he does not quite understand.
As Legal Counsel for this Curaçao licenced lottery betting company, it would be safe to assume that the legally inept Virani is responsible for things the Terms and Conditions on their website. Basic regulations are not adhered to, such as the clear display of Anti-Money Laundering regulations. Whilst all companies rely on certain liability disclaimers in their “small print”, Lotto Billions’ terms are written to absolve them from virtually every responsibility going, especially those relating to their liability to pay jackpot winners. The whole thing is a joke, but a very bad one if you are a player who wins a jackpot only to find that the company doesn’t have the funds to pay you nor has it taken out insurance. Can you imagine picking the winning numbers only to find out your ticket wasn’t entered owing to a “human” or “mechanical” error (both of which Lotto Billions can claim as per their liability terms).
Yes you did read that correctly. Unlike other reputable lottery betting sites that build their businesses on the basis that every ticket they sell is fully insured to ensure that jackpot winners are paid, Lotto Billions takes a totally new approach which leaves their players at serious risk of not getting paid if they hit the jackpot. According to Lotto Billions:
“Bet(s) may be underwritten by an insurance policy, placed with an Insurer at the sole discretion of Lotto Billions.”
READ MORE: Lotto Billions – Rules for Lottery Betting Services and Lottery Concierge Services
Which brings us to another minor, albeit notable point. Gambling companies are required to have their terms and conditions incorporated into their site as definitive webpages. For some strange reason, as of the date of this review, Lotto Billions does not do this. Instead, visitors to their site are simply directed via links to “legal” documents that are on a Google docs link. If one were suspicious, it could be suspected that this is a ruse to allow them to chop and change their Ts & Cs without notifying their customers.
As the saying goes, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing”. But when it comes to Khalid Virani and his knowledge of the law, it appears that “A little knowledge would be a welcome surprise”.
