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
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 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\u2019s expected that the UAE will eventually allow one casino licence per emirate. Wynn Al Marjan Island is scheduled to open in 2027.<\/p>\n","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":2395,"featured_media":179,"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 CEO Bill Hornbuckle indicated that its luxury beachfront development in Dubai could serve as a platform for a casino, contingent on future regulatory approval in the emirate. While currently only Wynn Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah has secured a casino license, MGM's non-gaming resort, developed for Wasl Hospitality, is on track for a Q3 2028 completion, positioning the group for potential market entry should the UAE expand its gaming regulatory framework.","focusai_entities":"MGM Resorts, Bill Hornbuckle, Wynn Al Marjan Island, JP Morgan Forum: Strategic Growth and Innovation, Wasl Hospitality, Bellagio, Aria, MGM Grand","focusai_location":"Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Ras Al Khaimah","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.95), regulator (0.98), compliance_legal (0.9), operator_casino (0.92), investor_analyst (0.97), supplier_vendor (0.75), journalist_researcher (0.93)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"UAE Regulatory Timeline?","query":"What specific legislative or regulatory milestones are anticipated in the UAE that would enable casino licensing beyond Ras Al Khaimah, and what is the projected timeline for such developments?"},{"label":"MGM's Strategic Investment?","query":"Given MGM's management agreement structure, what is the projected capital expenditure required for a potential casino integration, and how does this align with MGM's broader capital allocation strategy for emerging markets?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,149],"tags":[171,50,172],"class_list":["post-176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-casino-news","category-dubai","tag-casino-operations","tag-mgm-resorts","tag-regulatory-developments"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2395"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":203,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176\/revisions\/203"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/uae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}