Casinos in UAE: Wynn Resorts granted gaming operator licence

The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) has issued its first commercial land-based casino gaming licence.

United Arab Emirates.- Wynn Resorts has announced that the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has granted a commercial gaming facility operator licence for Wynn Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah. Wynn Resorts is developing what is expected to be the first IR in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with Marjan and RAK Hospitality Holding.

The company said: “Wynn Resorts thanks the GCGRA for the confidence and trust the licence grant signifies and is proud to be the recipient of the first commercial gaming facility license in the UAE. We are underway with the construction of our resort in Ras Al Khaimah and look forward to being a key partner in the development of its tourism economy.”

The complex will feature 22 restaurants, lounges and bars, a theatre with in-house productions, a 15,000-square-metre shopping esplanade, a spa and a 7,500-square-metre meeting and events centre. Construction began in early 2023 under the direction of UAE-based main contractor ALEC Engineering and Contracting. The tower is expected to be topped off at over 300 metres in the fourth quarter of 2025. The resort is expected to open to the public in early 2027.

The GCGRA was established last September. Kevin Mullally, a veteran of US gambling regulation, is the GCGRA’s chief executive. It has recently issued its first federal lottery licence, making the UAE the first Gulf state to legalise gaming.

See also: Wynn Al Marjan Island makes three new executive appointments