In terms of sports wagering, there’s a gray market in existence currently, as locals continue to gamble online via VPN. Tis is a key
focus of the GCGRA to clean up this side of the business. It's unclear if they'll pursue a federal licence for sports wagering as there are several permitted exemptions sports wagering on various competitions like weightlifting, running, and other strength competitions. As with
lotteries, the fact that there’s some social acceptance today might mean sports wagering could be next in the next order of business.
destination. When Wynn Resorts Al Marjan announced the development of its US$3.9bn integrated resort in Ras Al Khaimah (which is scheduled to open in 2027) there had already been significant cooperation as regards IR development between the US and UAE. Tere’s currently 8,000 hotel rooms in Ras Al Khaimah, with contracts for another 8,000 to be added over the next couple of years. By 2028 or 2029, there should be about 15-16,000 hotel rooms to further support the tourism draw, which is a key component of Ras Al Khaimah’s economic plan. Wynn Resorts’ property in Ras Al-Khaimah is already under construction and awaiting its casino licence from the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA). To date, the federal regulator has only issued a licence to operate the UAE Lottery, to a business called Te Game LLC.
In 2007, the US$8bn CityCenter development in Las Vegas was a 50-50 joint venture between MGM Resorts and Dubai World, the sovereign wealth investment arm of Dubai. MGM recently started construction of its non-gaming hotel in Dubai (MGM partnered with Hospitality and Leisure in 2017 to advise on a luxury resort development on Jumeirah Beach, which will feature the MGM, Bellagio and Aria brands and 1,500 hotel rooms). Ahead of G2E, MGM announced it had filed its application for a UAE casino licence, becoming the second land-based gaming operator making a decisive move into the market.
All types of commercial gaming are on the table. In recent documents published by the GCGRA, they listed lottery, Internet gaming, sports wagering, and integrated resorts or land-based casinos within the scope of licensable gaming. And within that, they list every type of table game and slot machine, in addition to lottery games. Te UAE lottery licence
98
is the first commercial gaming activity to be licensed by GCGRA. Legacy UAE lottery games have been in existence for many years, with draw-based games available from supermarkets, which were regulated and authorised through an exemption for raffles. So, while it’s technically a grey market, lotteries have been accepted in the UAE for quite some time, which makes it a logical place for commercial games to start.
Te legacy lotteries ceased operations earlier this year in anticipation of a federal licence. While the federal licence went to established local lottery operators, Emirates Draw and Mahzooz, it’s unclear if there's going to be an opportunity for a second licence or if a sub-licence would be available. Tat said, there’s still the possibility of an opportunity for vendors or suppliers to partner with Game LLC. And so an interesting business opportunity might exist.
In terms of sports wagering, there’s a grey market in existence currently, as locals continue to gamble online via VPN. Tis is a key focus of the GCGRA to clean up this side of the business. It’s unclear if they'll pursue a federal licence for sports wagering as there are several pre-existing permitted exemptions to sports wagering on various competitions like weightlifting, running, and other strength competitions. As with lotteries, the fact that there’s some social acceptance today might mean sports wagering could be next in the order of business. Tax rates remain an unknown factor at this stage.
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