Las Vegas of the Middle East: Could Dubai become the next global casino hub?
Dubai could be about to legalize gambling, despite it being prohibited by Islamic law. The economic benefits of establishing casinos in Dubai and the Marjan Island region would be significant and could also create a positive tourist boost.
Dubai is already a popular destination with nationals from gambling countries, with a significant amount of visitors arriving from the United Kingdom. Offering gambling would give British and other European nations more reason to visit, stay, and spend big in Dubai.
However, the cultural shift that the introduction of gambling would have would be significant. Currently, there are no physical casinos in the UAE. Plus, the country has no UAE-based online casinos, sports betting facilities,
or lotteries. Despite having two of the world's most well-known horse racing tracks, people in Dubai cannot bet on horse races either.
That’s not to say that UAE residents and visitors cannot access offshore gambling sites to place a wager on sports or play online casino games. Techopedia's list of Arab casinos includes sites that can be accessed throughout the UAE. To make up for the lack of gambling in the country, these sites come with a wide selection of table and slot games. Plus, as pointed out by Jamie Wright, they come with plenty of payment options and some even accept cryptocurrency.
So, while state-regulated gambling would be a new concept to Dubai and the UAE, gambling itself already exists through offshore sites. However, those who live in the UAE may not have long to wait before gambling is legalized. The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) was formed in the UAE last year. The formation of this authority suggests that the introduction of Dubai-regulated brick-and-mortar and online gambling institutions may be imminent.
Jim Murren, of Connecticut, was appointed as one of the CEOs of this new authoritative body alongside Kevin Mullally. Murren also serves as the chairman of the American Gaming Association, while Mullally was the former Executive Director of the Missouri Gaming Commission. These two were appointed to create a safe gambling environment for the country and establish a strict regulatory framework. Given the background of the two CEOs, Dubai could be well on course to become the next Las Vegas.
The formation of the GCGRA coincides with the building of Wynn Resorts’ Wynn Al Marjan Island hotel. Construction on this sprawling resort started in early 2023 and is not expected to open until 2027. However, given that construction is already underway, and that Wynn Resorts typically opens hotel and casino integration resorts, this could be UAE’s first official casino complex.
In terms of where casinos are likely to be established in Dubai, Yas Island would be a suitable candidate given its current entertainment offerings. The real estate development company Miral recently announced that Yas Island received the highest-ever number of visitors in 2023, with 34 million visits. This represented a 38% increase compared to 2022. Being one of the most popular tourist destinations, it is logical to build casinos on Yas Island.
Tourism already contributes 9% of the country’s total GDP. Given that the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority is looking to invest Dh100 billion to increase this percentage, it seems likely that gambling will become a big focus for the country over the next 10 years.
