{"id":777031501,"date":"2025-09-10T10:06:02","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T13:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/?p=777031501"},"modified":"2026-04-21T19:17:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T22:17:41","slug":"mgm-resorts-ceo-expresses-surprise-at-delay-in-dubai-casino-licence-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/mgm-resorts-ceo-expresses-surprise-at-delay-in-dubai-casino-licence-decision","title":{"rendered":"MGM Resorts CEO expresses surprise at delay in Dubai casino licence decision"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MGM’s Dubai resort is set to open in 2028. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

United Arab Emirates.- MGM Resorts International CEO Bill Hornbuckle has expressed surprise at the delay in obtaining a licence for the company’s US$2.5bn beachfront resort in Dubai, which is set to open in 2028. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of dialogue around that,\u201d he told a gaming industry conference, as reported by Arabian Gulf Business Insight (AGBI). \u201cI thought by now, Abu Dhabi would have ruled on what they were doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The resort is under construction on a 25-acre man-made island near Jumeirah Beach and the Burj Al Arab. It will feature MGM Grand, Bellagio and Aria hotels. A 250,000-square-foot podium has been built to house a casino if approved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MGM, partnered with Dubai\u2019s state-owned developer Wasl, applied for a licence through the UAE\u2019s General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), though final approval rests with Dubai\u2019s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rival Wynn Resorts\u2019 Al Marjan Island project in Ras Al Khaimah has already received a licence and is set to open in 2027. Wynn has already secured 70 acres for a potential second resort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hornbuckle remains optimistic, stating, \u201cIf this gets a casino, and I believe it will over time, we think it\u2019s a massive opportunity.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analysts estimate the UAE\u2019s gaming market could generate US$5-8bn annually.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\t\t\tSee also:<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tSee also:<\/span> Wynn buys land for possible second resort in UAW<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MGM’s Dubai resort is set to open in 2028.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":680,"featured_media":777031506,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"MGM Resorts International's CEO, Bill Hornbuckle, expressed surprise regarding the delay in obtaining a gaming license for its US$2.5bn Dubai resort, slated for a 2028 opening. Despite the regulatory uncertainty from the GCGRA and Dubai's ruler, Hornbuckle remains optimistic about the market's US$5-8bn annual GGR potential, contrasting with Wynn Resorts' already licensed project in Ras Al Khaimah. This situation highlights the complex regulatory landscape and competitive dynamics within the nascent UAE iGaming market.","focusai_entities":"MGM Resorts International, Bill Hornbuckle, Arabian Gulf Business Insight (AGBI), Wasl, General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), Sheikh Mohammed, Wynn Resorts","focusai_location":"United Arab Emirates, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Al Marjan Island, Jumeirah Beach","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (1.0), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (0.9), operator_casino (1.0), investor_analyst (1.0), supplier_vendor (0.7), journalist_researcher (1.0)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"UAE Licensing Framework","query":"What specific regulatory hurdles are delaying the GCGRA's approval process for integrated resorts in Dubai, and how might this impact other potential market entrants?"},{"label":"MGM vs. Wynn Strategy","query":"How does the competitive advantage gained by Wynn Resorts' early licensing in Ras Al Khaimah influence MGM's market entry strategy and projected ROI in the UAE?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,16334],"tags":[29,16615,24785],"class_list":["post-777031501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-casino-news","category-south-asia-news","tag-casino","tag-mgm-resorts","tag-uae"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777031501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/680"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777031501"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777031501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777031524,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777031501\/revisions\/777031524"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777031506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777031501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777031501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777031501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}