According to the CEO of Wynn Resorts, the first license to ever permit casino operations in the UAE may be granted ‘imminently’.
Ras Al Khaimah in the Northern Emirate is home to the first and only casino resort officially confirmed in the nation.
In the group’s Q2 2023 earnings call, CEO Craig Billings spoke about the upcoming Wynn Al Marjan Island. He said: “We have everything we need to operate gaming in Al Marjan. I expect that we will have our license for Ras Al Khaimah actually imminently.”
Billings touched on the UAE’s present gaming regulations, which forbid gambling.
He said: “I think there’s confusion here because there’s a lack of understanding regarding individual Emirates versus the UAE as a whole. It’s clearly a 10, as I think I’ve talked about before to a state and federal system.
“But there should be no concern that there is a legalisation process that needs to occur in order for gaming to occur in that property.”
Wynn Al Marjan casino space
There will be 1,500 rooms, suites, and villas at Wynn Al Marjan Island, as well as 20 restaurants, a spa, an events space, and a theater for “unique production shows.” According to Wynn, the resort is intended for extended stays and “day trips” from people in the other six emirates. There will be nightly laser and light shows in keeping with this, much as in Las Vegas.
The first confirmed casino in the UAE will be located at the US$3.9 billion integrated resort when it debuts in 2027. Four percent of the hotel’s total space will be devoted to the casino.
Wynn Al Marjan Island and the first UAE casino
In the Q3 2022 earnings call, Billings said the group is putting a tremendous amount of its time and focus into the UAE project, adding that “[it is] a very high return opportunity for us we expect. And so, that’s really the focus of our design and development efforts at the moment.”
The hospitality executive had earlier in the year praised the connection and diversity of Dubai, RAK, and the emirates.
He said: “The UAE is already a substantial destination for not only the region but for Europe, for Brits, for Germans, for really folks from all over the place. So this is a significant customer acquisition opportunity and a really material extension of our brand.
“When we open that property, 95 percent of the world’s population will be within an eight-hour flight of a Wynn Resorts property.”