Cloud of Suspicion over Casino Operator

Suspicions remain about South African online casino pioneer Warren Cloud, even after his premature death at age 34 from a heart attack suffered while sailing off the coast of Spain in late June.

Cloud, who was reportedly worth 2.1 billion South African Rand ($275 million), was the operator of 10 casinos at the time of his death, including the Silver Sands brand, operator of the Silver Sands Online Casino.

While the Silver Sands has continued to operate following the reclusive South African's death, other holdings Cloud had have since closed down, raising eyebrows in the industry.

It was reported on South African news websites that Cloud's US online gambling sites, including RealTime Gaming, for which he was the largest online licensee, closed down just two weeks after his death, after first warning punters to remove their money before July 31, or risk losing it altogether. The website gave no reason for the closure.

A rose, by any other name...
Cloud, who also had many aliases including Don Fortune, Richard Brooks and Oliver Curran, developed a bad reputation among industry insiders during his short life.

He was on and off the rogue list of industry consumer protection site CasinoMeister, with consumers often making complaints against him, including the allegation that Cloud refused to pay out players who tried to withdraw money they had won using promotional bonuses.

CasinoMeister operator Brian Bailey wrote a message on his website shortly after his rival's death, saying: "Even though we didn't see things eye to eye concerning running a casino, he had a family and a young daughter he loved very much. My condolences go out to them."

Cloud is survived by his wife and young daughter.