{"id":777039153,"date":"2026-03-13T09:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T12:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/?p=777039153"},"modified":"2026-04-21T13:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T16:32:10","slug":"mgm-ceo-says-dubai-resort-could-become-a-casino-in-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/mgm-ceo-says-dubai-resort-could-become-a-casino-in-the-future","title":{"rendered":"MGM CEO says Dubai resort could host a casino in the future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bill Hornbuckle says the group\u2019s non-gaming beachfront development could serve as \u201ca platform for a casino someday\u201d if regulation in the emirate allows it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

United Arab Emirates.- MGM Resorts has signalled that its luxury beachfront resort development in Dubai could eventually include a casino<\/strong>, reinforcing expectations that the United Arab Emirates may gradually expand gaming further. For now only Wynn Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah<\/a> has been approved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at the JP Morgan Forum: Strategic Growth and Innovation, CEO Bill Hornbuckle <\/strong>said the Dubai project could be \u201ca platform for a casino someday<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He reportedly added: \u201cWe\u2019re comfortable just having a management agreement to manage something we think is a real brand extender for now, and we\u2019ll see\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The development, valued at more than US$2m, is being built for Dubai-based Wasl Hospitality and is not owned by MGM. Construction remains on schedule, with completion expected in the third quarter of 2028. It will feature three hotel towers branded after MGM\u2019s flagship properties, Bellagio, Aria and MGM Grand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hornbuckle stressed that any future decision to add gaming would rest with Dubai\u2019s leadership, noting that the property owner is connected to the emirate\u2019s authorities and that the \u201cruler there will have the jurisdiction over if and when\u201d a casino could be permitted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s expected that the UAE will eventually allow one casino licence per emirate. Wynn Al Marjan Island is scheduled to open in 2027. <\/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> Construction resumes on Wynn\u2019s UAE casino resort<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bill Hornbuckle says the group\u2019s non-gaming beachfront development could serve as \u201ca platform for a casino someday\u201d if regulation in the emirate allows it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":680,"featured_media":777027171,"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 has indicated that its luxury beachfront development in Dubai could eventually incorporate a casino, contingent on regulatory approval within the emirate. CEO Bill Hornbuckle stated the non-gaming resort, developed for Wasl Hospitality, could serve as a \"platform for a casino someday,\" reinforcing expectations of gradual gaming expansion in the UAE, following Wynn Al Marjan Island's approval in Ras Al Khaimah.","focusai_entities":"MGM Resorts, Bill Hornbuckle, Wynn Al Marjan Island, JP Morgan Forum: Strategic Growth and Innovation, Wasl Hospitality, Bellagio, Aria, MGM Grand, Wynn","focusai_location":"United Arab Emirates, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (0.9), compliance_legal (0.8), operator_casino (0.9), investor_analyst (0.9), supplier_vendor (0.7), journalist_researcher (0.9)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"UAE Regulatory Timeline","query":"What specific legislative or policy milestones are anticipated in Dubai that would enable the issuance of an integrated resort gaming license, and what is the projected timeline for such developments?"},{"label":"MGM's Investment Strategy","query":"How does MGM Resorts' \"asset-light\" management agreement model for the Dubai development align with its broader capital allocation strategy for international expansion, particularly in nascent gaming jurisdictions?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,16334],"tags":[16615,25015],"class_list":["post-777039153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-casino-news","category-south-asia-news","tag-mgm-resorts","tag-united-arab-emirates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777039153","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=777039153"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777039153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777039163,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777039153\/revisions\/777039163"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777027171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777039153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777039153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777039153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}