Wynn Resorts to receive UAE’s first gambling license

Hotel and casino operator Wynn Resorts said it had received the first commercial gaming operator license in the United Arab Emirates from the country’s General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority.

The Las Vegas-based casino company said it was developing a luxury island resort, Wynn Al Marjan, in Ras al-Khaimah.

The project, currently under construction, is a joint venture between affiliates of Wynn Resorts, Marjan, and RAK Hospitality Holding, Wynn said.

The Ras al-Khaimah Government Public Affairs Authority, RAKTDA, and RAK Hospitality Holding did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

The UAE last month created a federal gambling regulator and hired U.S. industry veterans to lead it, ending years of speculation about whether the country would allow gambling, which is illegal in the conservative Gulf region.

The moves to allow gambling come amid growing economic competition in the Gulf, particularly with Saudi Arabia. Last month, the UAE unveiled a series of liberal legal reforms in an attempt to maintain its position as a regional trade, tourism and financial hub.