gamblers. The complex’s five-star hotel, run by the hotel group Inter-Continental, was completed in 2000. The Palestinian Authority allowed the casino to be developed, as they were eager to generate any additional tax revenues. Palestinians, however, were not allowed into the casino nor permitted to gamble.
The casino was so successful that it soon expanded the number of tables from 23 to 124 and its gaming machines to 283. However, the success of the property was short-lived, because with the outbreak of the Intifada the property was closed.
With Jericho being the first area returned to Palestinian control under the 2005 Sharm el-Sheikh peace plan, there were hopes that the Oasis Hotel Casino could one day be operational again. The casino, however, remains closed.
Lebanon
In Lebanon the Casino du Liban that is located in Jounieh, north of Beirut has faced disruptions to its operations for four decades because of the civil war that raged in the country between 1975 and 1990.
Finance Ministry, with the remainder controlled by Kuwaitis and other Arab investors. The Finance Ministry collects 40% of the total gross revenues of the casino each year.
Moving with the times the Casino du Liban launched its first Texas Hold’em poker tournament in 2007 and today 65% of the casinos visitors are Lebanese and 25% from other Arab nations.
Syria
Syria has not seen the same protests that have taken place in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia. But the gaming industry in Syria is very limited. In the 1970s three popular gambling venues were closed and gambling has subsequently been low profile and underground since then.
In 2007 plans were put forward to create a tourist resort in Palmyra in the Syrian Desert. The resort would include 5-star hotels and a casino. Objection has been raised to the plan since it was first proposed because of concerns about the preservation of Palmyra’s archaeological sites. The remains of the ancient city are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
At the end of 2010 the Ocean Club opened at the Damascus Airport site of one of the casinos that was closed in the 1970s.
The Ocean Club offers blackjack, roulette, slot machines and card tables. It has no official licence to operate and its owner Khaled Houboubati has been keeping a low profile since it opened. It is reported that the clientele have been mainly Syrian rather than tourists or international businessman. Already there have been calls from opponents to gambling to close the casino, so its immediate future is far from certain.
The casino first opened in 1959. The casino quickly became one of the Middle East’s leading gambling facilities because of Lebanon’s wealth created by the nation’s banking industry. The visits of Aristotle Onassis to the casino also helped promote the Casino du Liban as a favoured destination for the jet set. But in 1975 the start of the civil war forced the casino to function intermittently until 1989 when it completely closed for business.
On 4 December 1996 the Casino du Liban re- opened its doors to the public after US$50m-worth of extensive reconstruction and refurbishment. The Intra Investment Company owns 51% of the casino, 48% is owned by the Central Bank and the
32 casino life magazine
Across various parts of the region casinos have shown their resilience in the face of wide ranging hazards and tribulations, some of which have been ongoing for many years.
Many of the region’s properties are reliant on foreign tourists and any instability or uncertainty in a country makes its influence felt on casino businesses very quickly.
One heartening aspect is the example of the Casino du Liban in Lebanon which has survived long periods of enforced closure over recent decades to reopen and take bets again.
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