Israeli gambling tycoon bets long on UAVs

Now this is what we call taking a flier. Israeli gambling mogul Avi Shaked, also known as the “socialist millionaire”, has acquired a sizeable share of Yavneh, Israel-based Aeronautics Defense Systems — a company best known for selling its Dominator and Aerostar UAVs to such countries as the United States, Nepal, Poland, and Spain, among others. Although the deal has not been formally announced, sources told Haaretz that Shaked had paid $15-20 million for “nearly 50 percent of the company” — buying the shares, Haaretz reported, from a disgruntled foreign investor whom Israeli sensors would not permit the newspaper to name. That dispute involved a $250 million deal to supply Nigeria with UAVs to combat rebels in the oil-rich Niger Delta area. Shaked, an owner of the gambling firm 888, is said to be carrying out the transaction on behalf of his children.