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Gambler sues hotel casino for losing (6th July, 2014)

The Reading / Listening - Level 6

The wife of the foreign minister of Oman is suing a high-class London casino for losing money at its gambling tables. Nora Al-Daher racked up a near-$3.5-million loss in the casino of one of London's most exclusive hotels, The Ritz. She blew the cash in just a few hours and then blamed staff at the hotel for not stopping her. The 50-year-old multi-millionaire insisted it was the casino's fault that she lost as they knew she had a gambling problem. She told the judge at the High Court in London: "I needed someone that night to tell me to stop playing and bring me to my senses. If I had been told to stop, of course I would have done so immediately, but no one ever told me to stop or to think about my gambling."

Ms Al-Daher told the court how she had arrived at The Ritz that evening already having lost a "significant" amount of money at other London casinos. The case reached the High Court after The Ritz sued Ms Al-Daher for almost $1.5 million for her cheques that had not been honoured. Al-Daher said she realised she had become a gambling addict in 1999 and then lost more than $10 million at The Ritz over the following three years. Her lawyer told the court that casino staff urged her to lose money, saying: "Staff positively encouraged her when she was losing, saying, 'Anything for you, Princess Nora. We trust you. No problem. Relax. Don’t worry....The next time you will get your money back'."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Level 4 or Level 5

Sources

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/gambling-addict-wife-omani-politician-3806320#ixzz36RXC9iOp
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/omani-politicians-wife-sues-the-ritz-after-losing-millions-in-a-single-evening-9581127.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-28149325

Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

The 40 Lesson Activities on the PDF Handout

WARM-UPS

1. GAMBLING: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about gambling. Change partners often and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?

foreign minister / casino / gambling / exclusive hotels / multi-millionaire / senses / significant / addict / $10 million / encouraged / no problem / get your money back

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. ADDICTS: How serious is the addiction? How can we help them? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	How serious?	What damage does it do?	How can we help?
Gambling
Drugs
Shopping
TV
Gaming
Alcohol

4. CASINOS: Students A strongly believe all casinos should be shut down; Students B strongly believe they are OK. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. GAMBLE: Rank these with your partner. Put the most acceptable at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

• poker at a casino

• betting on horseracing

• lottery ticket

• slot machines

• cards with friends

• scratch cards

• financial investments

• online bingo

6. CASH: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "cash". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	A foreign minister is suing a London casino over gambling losses.	T / F
b.	The gambler lost over $3 million in a few hours.	T / F
c.	The gambler claims the casino should have stopped her from playing.	T / F
d.	The gambler said she would have stopped if told to do so.	T / F
e.	It was the gambler's first visit to a casino that evening.	T / F
f.	The gambled said she became addicted to gambling a few years ago.	T / F
g.	The casino won $10 million from the gambler in three years.	T / F
h.	A lawyer said the casino did not encourage the gambler to play.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	high-class	a.	squandered
2.	racked up	b.	have faith in
3.	blew	c.	remarkable
4.	insisted	d.	subsequent
5.	immediately	e.	exclusive
6.	significant	f.	maintained
7.	honoured	g.	persuaded
8.	following	h.	fulfilled
9.	urged	i.	amassed
10.	trust	j.	instantly

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.	a high-	a.	addict
2.	racked up a	b.	in just a few hours
3.	She blew the cash	c.	amount of money
4.	multi-	d.	my senses
5.	bring me to	e.	the High Court
6.	lost a "significant"	f.	class London casino
7.	The case reached	g.	three years
8.	gambling	h.	millionaire
9.	over the following	i.	encouraged her
10.	Staff positively	j.	near-$3.5-million loss

GAP FILL

The wife of the foreign (1) ____________ of Oman is suing a high-class London casino for losing money at its gambling (2) ____________. Nora Al-Daher racked up a near-$3.5-million loss in the casino of one of London's most (3) ____________ hotels, The Ritz. She blew the cash in just a few hours and then (4) ____________ staff at the hotel for not stopping her. The 50-year-old multi-millionaire insisted it was the casino's (5) ____________ that she lost as they knew she had a gambling problem. She told the (6) ____________ at the High Court in London: "I needed someone that night to tell me to stop playing and bring me to my (7) ____________. If I had been told to stop, of course I would have done (8) ____________ immediately, but no one ever told me to stop or to think about my gambling."

fault
senses
tables
so
minister
blamed
judge
exclusive

Ms Al-Daher told the court how she had arrived at The Ritz that evening already having lost a "(9) ____________ " amount of money at other London casinos. The case (10) ____________ the High Court after The Ritz sued Ms Al-Daher for almost $1.5 million for her cheques that had not been (11) ____________. Al-Daher said she realised she had become a gambling (12) ____________ in 1999 and then lost more than $10 million at The Ritz over the (13) ____________ three years. Her lawyer told the court that casino staff urged her to lose money, saying: "Staff (14) ____________ encouraged her when she was losing, saying, 'Anything for you, Princess Nora. We (15) ____________ you. No problem. Relax. Don't worry....The next time you will get your money (16) ____________'."

following
trust
reached
back'
significant
positively
honoured
addict

LISTENING – Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)	The wife of the foreign minister of Oman is suing a high-______
	a. classed London casino b. classy London casino c. class London casino d. classless London casino
2)	in the casino of one of London's most ______
	a. exclusives hotels b. exclusive hotels c. exclusively hotels d. exclusivity hotels
3)	The 50-year-old multi-millionaire insisted it was ______
	a. the casino's fault b. the casino's vault c. the casino's haunt d. the casino's jaunt
4)	I needed someone that night to tell me to stop playing and bring me ______
	a. to my sense b. to my senses c. to my sense is d. to my senses is
5)	If I had been told to stop, of course I would have done ______
	a. sew immediately b. sow immediately c. show immediately d. so immediately
6)	she had arrived at The Ritz that evening already having lost a ______
	a. "significance" amount b. "significantly" amount c. "signify can't" amount d. "significant" amount
7)	The case reached the High Court after The Ritz ______
	a. ensued Ms Al-Daher b. pursued Ms Al-Daher c. sued Ms Al-Daher d. reused Ms Al-Daher
8)	Al-Daher said she realised she had become a gambling ______
	a. addict in 1999 b. addictive in 1999 c. addiction in 1999 d. addicts in 1999
9)	Her lawyer told the court that casino staff ______ lose
	a. urged her for b. urged her to c. urged her at d. urged her by
10)	Don't worry....The next time you will get your ______
	a. money backers b. money backer c. money back d. money backs

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

The wife of the foreign minister of Oman (1) ___________________ London casino for losing money at its gambling tables. Nora Al-Daher racked up a near-$3.5-million loss (2) ___________________ of London's most exclusive hotels, The Ritz. She (3) ___________________ a few hours and then blamed staff at the hotel for not stopping her. The 50-year-old multi-millionaire insisted it was the casino's fault that she lost as they knew she had a gambling problem. She (4) ___________________ the High Court in London: "I needed someone that night to tell me to stop playing and bring me to my senses. If (5) ___________________ stop, of course I would have done so immediately, but no one ever told (6) ___________________ think about my gambling."

Ms Al-Daher told the court how (7) ___________________ The Ritz that evening already having lost a "significant" amount of money at other London casinos. The (8) ___________________ Court after The Ritz sued Ms Al-Daher for almost $1.5 million for her cheques that had not been honoured. Al-Daher said she realised she had become (9) ___________________ in 1999 and then lost more than $10 million at The Ritz over the following three years. Her lawyer told the court that casino (10) ___________________ money, saying: "Staff (11) ___________________ her when she was losing, saying, 'Anything for you, Princess Nora. We trust you. No problem. Relax. Don't worry....The next time (12) ___________________ money back'."

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.	What is the job of the gambler's husband?
2.	How long did it take her to lose the cash at the casino?
3.	How old is the gambler?
4.	Where did she tell a judge her story?
5.	What would she have done if she had been told?
6.	Where had the gambler been before she arrived at The Ritz's casino?
7.	For how much did The Ritz sue her?
8.	When did the woman first realize she had a gambling problem?
9.	How much money did she lose at The Ritz at the turn of the century?
10.	What did the casino allegedly tell the woman she would get back?

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ

1.	What is the job of the gambler's husband?	6.	Where had the gambler been before she arrived at The Ritz's casino?
	a) foreign secretary b) businessman c) doctor d) actor		a) Paris b) a party at Buckingham Palace c) Harrod's d) other London casinos
2.	How long did it take her to lose the cash at the casino?	7.	For how much did The Ritz sue her?
	a) 1 hour, 27 minutes and 18 seconds b) 59 minutes c) a few hours d) minutes		a) $1.5 billion b) $1.5 million c) $150,000 d) $15,000,000
3.	How old is the gambler?	8.	When did the woman first realise she had a gambling problem?
	a) 40 b) 50 c) 60 d) 70		a) 2002 b) three years ago c) last year d) 1999
4.	Where did she tell a judge her story?	9.	How much money did she lose at The Ritz at the turn of the century?
	a) the Low Court b) the Middle Court c) the In-between Court d) the High Court		a) $100,000 b) $100,000,000 c) $10 million d) $100 million
5.	What would she have done if she had been told?	10.	What did the casino allegedly tell the woman she would get back?
	a) stopped gambling b) shouted at the staff c) left the casino d) gambled more		a) her passport b) her money c) her pride d) her cheques

ROLE PLAY

Role A – Gambling

You think gambling is the worst addiction. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that aren't so bad about their addictions. Also, tell the others which is the least damaging of these (and why): alcohol, gaming or shopping.

Role B – Alcohol

You think alcohol is the worst addiction. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that aren't so bad about their addictions. Also, tell the others which is the least damaging of these (and why): gambling, gaming or shopping.

Role C – Gaming

You think gaming is the worst addiction. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that aren't so bad about their addictions. Also, tell the others which is the least damaging of these (and why): alcohol, gambling or shopping.

Role D – Shopping

You think shopping is the worst addiction. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that aren't so bad about their addictions. Also, tell the others which is the least damaging of these (and why): alcohol, gaming or gambling.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words 'high' and 'class'.

high

class

Share your findings with your partners.

Make questions using the words you found.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

tables
most
blew
fault
someone
think

amount
case
1.5
1999
lawyer
back

GAMBLING SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about gambling in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.

Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

GAMBLING DISCUSSION

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the word 'gambling'?
c)	Why do people like gambling?
d)	How can we help gambling addicts?
e)	Should casinos be made illegal?
f)	Do you feel sorry for Nora Al-Daher?
g)	Do you think the casino was in the wrong in this case?
h)	How can people be prepared to lose millions when millions are starving?
i)	Should gambling addicts be barred from casinos?
j)	Is there anything good about gambling?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)	Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
b)	Why do people gamble when logic says you will lose?
c)	Should Nora Al-Daher simply accept she gambled and lost?
d)	Was The Ritz right to sue Nora Al-Daher for her bad cheque?
e)	Isn't casino staff encouraging someone to gamble like clothes shop staff encouraging someone to buy a shirt?
f)	Is gambling morally wrong?
g)	What would you decide if you were the judge (and why)?
h)	Have you ever gambled?
i)	What advice do you have for Nora Al-Daher?
j)	What questions would you like to ask the boss of The Ritz?

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

LANGUAGE - CLOZE

The wife of the foreign minister of Oman is suing a high-class London casino for losing money at its gambling (1) ____. Nora Al-Daher racked up a near-$3.5-million loss in the casino of one of London's most (2) ____ hotels, The Ritz. She blew the cash in just a few hours and then blamed staff at the hotel for not (3) ____ her. The 50-year-old multi-millionaire insisted it was the casino's fault that she lost (4) ____ they knew she had a gambling problem. She told the judge at the High Court in London: "I needed someone that night to tell me to stop playing and (5) ____ me to my senses. If I had been told to stop, of course I would have done (6) ____ immediately, but no one ever told me to stop or to think about my gambling."

Ms Al-Daher told the court how she had arrived at The Ritz that evening already (7) ____ lost a "significant" amount of money at other London casinos. The case (8) ____ the High Court after The Ritz sued Ms Al-Daher for almost $1.5 million for her cheques that had not been honoured. Al-Daher said she realised she had become a gambling addict in 1999 and then lost more than $10 million at The Ritz over the (9) ____ three years. Her lawyer told the court that casino staff (10) ____ her to lose money, saying: "Staff (11) ____ encouraged her when she was losing, saying, 'Anything for you, Princess Nora. We (12) ____ you. No problem. Relax. Don't worry....The next time you will get your money back'."

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	den	(b)	greens	(c)	tables	(d)	quarters
2.	(a)	exclusive	(b)	exclusively	(c)	exclusion	(d)	exclusivity
3.	(a)	stopping	(b)	stoppage	(c)	stopped	(d)	stops
4.	(a)	as	(b)	so	(c)	is	(d)	was
5.	(a)	escort	(b)	take	(c)	see	(d)	bring
6.	(a)	did	(b)	as	(c)	for	(d)	so
7.	(a)	having	(b)	had	(c)	has	(d)	have
8.	(a)	entry	(b)	got	(c)	arrived	(d)	reached
9.	(a)	following	(b)	after	(c)	post	(d)	third
10.	(a)	purged	(b)	urged	(c)	surged	(d)	merged
11.	(a)	well	(b)	positively	(c)	nicely	(d)	timely
12.	(a)	trust	(b)	faith	(c)	belief	(d)	honesty

SPELLING

Paragraph 1
1.	isnug a high-class London casino
2.	one of London's most elexsuvic hotels
3.	insisted it was the casino's lufta
4.	the dgjue at the High Court
5.	bring me to my sessen
6.	I would have done so emialtemdyi
Paragraph 2
7.	a ngcsitinfai amount of money
8.	cheques that had not been udoehnor
9.	a gambling ditdca
10.	Her waelyr told the court that…
11.	staff egrud her to lose money
12.	Staff positively gecenraoud her

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	realised she had become a gambling addict in 1999 and then lost more than $10 million at The Ritz over
( )	you, Princess Nora. We trust you. No problem. Relax. Don't worry....The next time you will get your money back'."
( )	amount of money at other London casinos. The case reached the High Court after The Ritz
( )	Ms Al-Daher told the court how she had arrived at The Ritz that evening already having lost a "significant"
( )	exclusive hotels, The Ritz. She blew the cash in just a few hours and then blamed staff at the hotel for not
( )	tables. Nora Al-Daher racked up a near-$3.5-million loss in the casino of one of London's most
( )	lose money, saying: "Staff positively encouraged her when she was losing, saying, 'Anything for
( )	course I would have done so immediately, but no one ever told me to stop or to think about my gambling."
( )	someone that night to tell me to stop playing and bring me to my senses. If I had been told to stop, of
( )	sued Ms Al-Daher for almost $1.5 million for her cheques that had not been honoured. Al-Daher said she
( 1 )	The wife of the foreign minister of Oman is suing a high-class London casino for losing money at its gambling
( )	the following three years. Her lawyer told the court that casino staff urged her to
( )	stopping her. The 50-year-old multi-millionaire insisted it was the casino's fault that she lost
( )	as they knew she had a gambling problem. She told the judge at the High Court in London: "I needed

PUT THE WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER

1.	hotels In the casino of one of London's most exclusive.
2.	blew in few She cash a the just hours.
3.	fault lost it casino's she Insisted the that was.
4.	needed someone that night to tell me to stop I.
5.	told gambling or ever my stop one about to No think me to.
6.	"significant" amount of money Already having lost a.
7.	in 1999 She realised she had become a gambling addict.
8.	the court that casino staff urged her Her lawyer told.
9.	her when Staff she positively was encouraged losing.
10.	back next will money The you your time get.

CIRCLE THE CORRECT WORD (20 PAIRS)

The wife of the foreign minister of Oman is using / suing a high-class London casino for losing money at its gambling desks / tables. Nora Al-Daher racked up / down a near-$3.5-million loss in the casino of one of London's most exclusive hotels, The Ritz. She blew / pushed the cash in just a few hours and then blamed staff at the hotel for not stopped / stopping her. The 50-year-old multi-millionaire insisted it was the casino's faulty / fault that she lost as they knew she had a / such gambling problem. She told the judge at the High Court in London: "I needed someone that / at night to tell me to stop playing and bring me to my senses / feelings. If I had been told to stop, of course I would have done as / so immediately, but no one ever told me to stop or to think about my gambling."

Ms Al-Daher told the court how she had entered / arrived at The Ritz that evening already having lost a "significant" / "significance" amount of money at other London casinos. The case / casing reached the High Court after The Ritz sued Ms Al-Daher for almost / most $1.5 million for her cheques that had not been honoured. Al-Daher said she realised she had become a gambling addiction / addict in 1999 and then lost more than $10 million at The Ritz over the following three years. Her lawyer told the court that casino staff urging / urged her to lose money, saying: "Staff positively / positivity encouraged her when she was losing / lost, saying, 'Anything for you, Princess Nora. We entrust / trust you. No problem. Relax. Don't worry....The next time you will get your money back / backing'."

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

INSERT THE VOWELS (a, e, i, o, u)

Th_ w_f_ _f th_ f_r__gn m_n_st_r _f _m_n _s s__ng _ h_gh-cl_ss L_nd_n c_s_n_ f_r l_s_ng m_n_y _t _ts g_mbl_ng t_bl_s. N_r_ _l-D_h_r r_ck_d _p _ n__r-$3.5-m_ll__n l_ss _n th_ c_s_n_ _f _n_ _f L_nd_n's m_st _xcl_s_v_ h_t_ls, Th_ R_tz. Sh_ bl_w th_ c_sh _n j_st _ f_w h__rs _nd th_n bl_m_d st_ff _t th_ h_t_l f_r n_t st_pp_ng h_r. Th_ 50-y__r-_ld m_lt_-m_ll__n__r_ _ns_st_d _t w_s th_ c_s_n_'s f__lt th_t sh_ l_st _s th_y kn_w sh_ h_d _ g_mbl_ng pr_bl_m. Sh_ t_ld th_ j_dg_ _t th_ H_gh C__rt _n L_nd_n: "_ n__d_d s_m__n_ th_t n_ght t_ t_ll m_ t_ st_p pl_y_ng _nd br_ng m_ t_ my s_ns_s. _f _ h_d b__n t_ld t_ st_p, _f c__rs_ _ w__ld h_v_ d_n_ s_ _mm_d__t_ly, b_t n_ _n_ _v_r t_ld m_ t_ st_p _r t_ th_nk _b__t my g_mbl_ng."

Ms _l-D_h_r t_ld th_ c__rt h_w sh_ h_d _rr_v_d _t Th_ R_tz th_t _v_n_ng _lr__dy h_v_ng l_st _ "s_gn_f_c_nt" _m__nt _f m_n_y _t _th_r L_nd_n c_s_n_s. Th_ c_s_ r__ch_d th_ H_gh C__rt _ft_r Th_ R_tz s__d Ms _l-D_h_r f_r _lm_st $1.5 m_ll__n f_r h_r ch_q__s th_t h_d n_t b__n h_n__r_d. _l-D_h_r s__d sh_ r__l_s_d sh_ h_d b_c_m_ _ g_mbl_ng _dd_ct _n 1999 _nd th_n l_st m_r_ th_n $10 m_ll__n _t Th_ R_tz _v_r th_ f_ll_w_ng thr__ y__rs. H_r l_wy_r t_ld th_ c__rt th_t c_s_n_ st_ff _rg_d h_r t_ l_s_ m_n_y, s_y_ng: "St_ff p_s_t_v_ly _nc__r_g_d h_r wh_n sh_ w_s l_s_ng, s_y_ng, '_nyth_ng f_r y__, Pr_nc_ss N_r_. W_ tr_st y__. N_ pr_bl_m. R_l_x. D_n't w_rry....Th_ n_xt t_m_ y__ w_ll g_t y__r m_n_y b_ck'."

PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

the wife of the foreign minister of oman is suing a high-class london casino for losing money at its gambling tables nora al-daher racked up a near-$35-million loss in the casino of one of london's most exclusive hotels the ritz she blew the cash in just a few hours and then blamed staff at the hotel for not stopping her the 50-year-old multi-millionaire insisted it was the casino's fault that she lost as they knew she had a gambling problem she told the judge at the high court in london "i needed someone that night to tell me to stop playing and bring me to my senses if i had been told to stop of course i would have done so immediately but no one ever told me to stop or to think about my gambling"

ms al-daher told the court how she had arrived at the ritz that evening already having lost a "significant" amount of money at other london casinos the case reached the high court after the ritz sued ms al-daher for almost $15 million for her cheques that had not been honoured al-daher said she realised she had become a gambling addict in 1999 and then lost more than $10 million at the ritz over the following three years her lawyer told the court that casino staff urged her to lose money saying "staff positively encouraged her when she was losing saying 'anything for you princess nora we trust you no problem relax don't worrythe next time you will get your money back'"

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE

ThewifeoftheforeignministerofOmanissuingahigh-classLondoncasin
oforlosingmoneyatitsgamblingtables.NoraAl-Daherrackedupanear-$3.5-
millionlossinthecasinoofoneofLondon'smostexclusivehotels,TheRitz.Sheble
wthecashinjustafewhoursandthenblamedstaffatthehotelfornotstoppingher.
The50-year-oldmulti-millionaireinsisteditwasthecasino'sfaultthatshelos
tastheyknewshehadagamblingproblem.ShetoldthejudgeattheHighCourtinL
ondon:"Ineededsomeonethatnighttotellmetostopplayingandbringmetomys
enses.IfIhadbeentoldtostop,ofcourseIwouldhavedonesoimmediately,butno
oneevertoldmetostoportothinkaboutmygambling."MsAl-Dahertoldthe
courthowshehadarrivedatTheRitzthateveningalreadyhavinglosta"significan
t"amountofmoneyatotherLondoncasinos.ThecasereachedtheHighCourtafte
rTheRitzsuedMsAl-Daherforalmost$1.5millionforherchequesthathadn
otbeenhonoured.Al-Dahersaidsherealisedshehadbecomeagamblingadd
ictin1999andthenlostmorethan$10millionatTheRitzoverthefollowingthreey
ears.Herlawyertoldthecourtthatcasinostaffurgedhertolosemoney,saying:"
Staffpositivelyencouragedherwhenshewaslosing,saying,'Anythingforyou,P
rincessNora.Wetrustyou.Noproblem.Relax.Don'tworry....Thenexttimeyou
willgetyourmoneyback'."

FREE WRITING

Write about gambling for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner's paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

ACADEMIC WRITING

Gambling is morally wrong. Discuss.

_____________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about gambling. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. GAMBLING: Make a poster about the pros and cons of gambling. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. LOSSES: Write a magazine article about Nora Al-Daher suing The Ritz. Include imaginary interviews with Ms Al Daher and the owner of The Ritz.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on gambling addiction. Ask him/her three questions about gambling. Give him/her three ideas on how to help gambling addicts. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

A Few Additional Activities for Students

Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

Also...

Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

News
Warm ups
Pre-reading / Post-reading
Using headlines
Working with words
While-reading / While-listening
Moving from text to speech
Post-reading / Post-listening
Discussions
Using opinions
Plans
Language
Using lists
Using quotes
Task-based activities
Role plays
Using the central characters in the article
Using themes from the news
Homework

Buy my book

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ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE (p.4)

a

F

b

T

c

T

d

T

e

F

f

F

g

T

h

F

SYNONYM MATCH (p.4)

1.	high-class	a.	exclusive
2.	racked up	b.	amassed
3.	blew	c.	squandered
4.	insisted	d.	maintained
5.	immediately	e.	instantly
6.	significant	f.	remarkable
7.	honoured	g.	fulfilled
8.	following	h.	subsequent
9.	urged	i.	persuaded
10.	trust	j.	have faith in

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (p.8)

1.	Foreign minister (of Oman)
2.	A few hours
3.	50
4.	At the High Court (in London)
5.	Stopped gambling
6.	Other London casinos
7.	$1.5 million
8.	1999
9.	$10 million
10.	Her money

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ (p.9)

1.

a

2.

c

3.

b

4.

d

5.

a

6.

d

7.

b

8.

d

9.

c

10.

b

ALL OTHER EXERCISES

Please check for yourself by looking at the Article on page 2.
(It's good for your English ;-)

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Gambler sues hotel casino for losing (6th July, 2014)

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