Judge Ozkan Days at 87
Turkish businessman Sudi Ozkan, widely known as the “Casino King” and a major investor in international hotels and gaming resorts, has died at the age of 87, Turkish media reported on October 2, 2026. According to paragraf.bg, Ozkan passed away after a period of declining health during which he lived in seclusion. While Turkish outlets reported that he had been receiving treatment in an Istanbul hospital prior to his death, his family has not yet released an official statement regarding the exact cause of death.
Building a Global Entertainment Empire
Born in Adana in 1939 to a grocery store owner family, Ozkan initially started his career trading real estate and automobiles before expanding into tourism and construction, plovdiv24.bg reported. In 1985, he opened his first casino in Istanbul. During the 1980s and 1990s, Sudi Ozkan established himself as one of the most key players in the entertainment industry, tourism, and gambling sector in Turkey. His career was also touched by political scandals in Turkey during the 1990s; following the 1996 Susurluk crash, it emerged that Abdullah Catli, police chief Huseyin Kocadag, and deputy Sedat Bucak had stayed at his Izmir Princess Hotel prior to the incident. Around the same time, following the assassination of fellow casino owner Omer Lutfu Topal, reports surfaced that Mehmet Eymur, then head of the counter-terrorism unit of the Turkish intelligence agency MIT, had warned Ozkan of a possible attack against him, and years later Ozkan appointed Eymur to a managerial position in his companies.
Expanding International Operations After the 1998 Turkish Ban
Following the 1998 legislative ban, Ozkan shifted his business abroad by establishing the Princess International Group. Under this brand, he developed dozens of hotels, resorts, and casinos across various countries—including the United States, Romania, Belize, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, North Macedonia, Albania, Suriname, and the Caribbean. Over his lifetime, Ozkan had two marriages and six children. He spent 35 years with his first wife Sitare, and they had two daughters, Anibal Enis and Venus Neslihan; his 11-year-old grandson, the son of his daughter Anibal, died in a car crash in 2004, and in 1997 Sudi met Katarina Shulkevich from Belarus.
Major Investments in Bulgaria and Svilengrad
Ozkan’s cross-border investments included substantial holdings in neighboring Bulgaria. According to dnes.dir.bg, the Princess International Group controlled prominent Bulgarian properties such as the Sofia Princess Hotel (formerly Hotel Europe) and the Trimontium Interhotel in Plovdiv.
Ozkan Settles Tax Debts After Living Abroad
Ozkan’s career was also marked by significant legal and financial friction. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, tax audits and court cases regarding his casino revenues from 1995 to 1998 resulted in substantial state tax assessments, forcing him to live abroad for an extended period. Later, Ozkan entered negotiations with the Turkish Ministry of Finance to restructure his tax debts under a state settlement program, thereby regularizing his legal and financial standing with Turkey, as detailed by plovdiv24.bg and paragraf.bg.
Ozkan Will Have Funeral Services in Kumburgaz
Funeral services for Sudi Ozkan are scheduled to take place in Kumburgaz, plovdiv24.bg reported, while his family has not yet released an official statement regarding the exact cause of death.
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