Wynn Resorts obtains license to offer casino gaming in UAE

Wynn Resorts has long touted its financial clout as the main reason why it should be the company building the United Arab Emirate’s first hotel & casino resort, pointing out its international credentials and a proven track record in building and managing multi-billion hospitality and gaming projects.

Wynn gets red tape out of the way to host casino in UAE

While the hospitality project was cleared earlier this year, the company has now obtained the much-needed commercial gaming operator license – the first to be issued by the United Arab Emirates General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, allowing the hospitality giant to move forward with its Las Vegas-style luxury resort, which will include an operational casino.

This is a huge win for Wynn Resorts and part of the United Arab Emirates’ transformative journey to become a more secular destination that holds a wider appeal to well-heeled overseas tourists, including high rollers, and gamblers who frequent exclusive resorts around the world.

Developed as a joint venture between Wynn Resorts International, Marjan and RAK Hospitality Holding, the project expects to host a 1,542-room hotel, a fully operational casino, and 22 bars and restaurants, along with meeting spaces, a theatre to host shows and concerns, and much more. The implications of introducing a casino in the Middle East are huge.

More information forthcoming as part of a presentation

It will serve pent-up regional demand, although admittedly be geared towards a wealthy audience that can afford themselves the trip to Wynn Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, as well as the rather steep costs of accommodation.

Despite this, Wynn Resorts is confident that the project is bound to be a success, easily competing with established resorts in Asia and still being a good flying distance from some of the world’s most prolific high-stakes gamblers.

More developments are forthcoming as Wynn Resorts International is holding a presentation about the project on Tuesday, October 8, 2024.

Wynn Resorts is not the only company seeking to expand in the Middle East, with MGM Resorts confirming in September that it had applied for a gambling license in Abu Dhabi, suggesting that the United Arab Emirates may not be limited to a single casino.

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