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For centuries it was considered unthinkable, but now gambling is to go ahead in the Middle East. And it\u2019s not in Dubai or Qatar either, but rather the traditionally strict Arab Gulf.<\/p>\nFor centuries it was considered unthinkable, but now gambling is to go ahead in the Middle East. And it\u2019s not in Dubai or Qatar either, but rather the traditionally strict Arab Gulf.<\/p>\n
Ras Al Khaimah(RAK) is a group of seven islands in the United Arab Emirates, and the location for US casino operator Wynn Resorts latest multi-integrated holiday destination venue. The 1500-bedroom resort will be built on the small, little-known man-made island of Al Marjan which sits off the coast of Ras Al Khaimah.<\/p>\n
To get its casino approved, Wynn has managed to bypass the restrictive Shariah law ban on gambling. The authorities there have accommodated this through simply re-writing the guidelines for the region. This is despite the practise of gambling being regarded as \u2018haram\u2019 in the Islam religion (and which is the dominant practice in the majority of Arab countries).<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) announced it was creating a new Department of Entertainment and Gaming Regulation. This was to facilitate the merger onto the island of such \u201cintegrated resorts\u201d as well as to \u201cconsider the social, cultural and environmental landscape of the emirate and cover licensing, taxation, operational procedures and consumer safeguards.\u201d<\/p>\n
The department\u2019s main priority it added, would be to get a regulatory framework to ensure \u201cthe responsible practice of recreational gaming at all levels\u201d.<\/p>\n
Raki Phillips, the chief executive of the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) said: \u201cThe UAE is a very forward-thinking nation, especially when it comes to tourism and what that impact of an investment will do. Regulations have been put into place, there are a lot of elements that have been put in.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cGaming is a responsible form of entertainment and leisure tourism that takes into consideration community, cultural and social norms.\u201d<\/p>\n
The regulations, one gambling industry analysts announced, would be similar to those in countries such as Singapore and the United States. Vitaly Umansky, of the Sanford C Bernstein investment company in Hong Kong, said that although the casino would be integrated with the leisure facilities at the resort, it would practically be concealed, with casino tables and slots remaining in the background.<\/p>\n
Umansky added: \u201cThe regulatory environment would be the kind that hides the casino, kind of like Singapore but even more so. It won\u2019t be like Vegas where the casino is out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition, he added, the whole gaming environment was about boosting tourism by attracting foreigners. To that end he didn\u2019t see the practice becoming commonplace among Arab residents or other middle eastern citizens \u2013 only those who could afford to stay at the resort.<\/p>\n
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The man tasked with overseeing the project is Thomas Schoen. A hospitality expert for more than three decades, he is certainly a big figure in the resort industry. His current role is president of the Wynn Al Marjan Island resort. It\u2019s a job that is twofold \u2013 to make a success of the venture and, at the same time, to ensure the introduction of gambling into the Arab world goes smoothly. And certainly, the acceptance of the casino will be key to the resort\u2019s success.<\/p>\n
Shoen\u2019s years as a CEO and complex general manager for seven years, an area general manager for eight years, and a hotel brand experience manager for six years, will certainly stand him in good stead. Not only that, but he is comfortable in luxury environments dealing with multi-millionaires. His forte is creating \u2018exceptional guest experiences.\u2019 It\u2019s made him a well-loved figure by many prominent brands in the hotel sector. These include Sheraton, Pine Cliffs Resort, Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Le Meridien. He has worked in a total of 12 different countries throughout his career, including the UK, Europe and Africa.<\/p>\n
CEO of Wynn Resorts is Craig Billings. He describes the Arab Wynn Resort as \u2018one of the most exciting projects of the decade\u2019 \u2013 both for personally, and the company itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll be operating on our own, which makes it quite exciting,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you think of a market like that where for some period of time you\u2019re going to be the sole operator, you certainly don\u2019t want to under build the casino, but you want to keep that feeling of energy.\u201d He went on to say the Gulf Wynn Resort represents a new chapter for the company.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe UAE is already a substantial destination not just for the region, but for Europe, for Brits, for Germans, for people everywhere. So this is a significant opportunity for customer acquisition and a truly material extension of our brand,\u201d he added. \u201cWhen we open this property, 95 per cent of the world\u2019s population will be within an eight-hour flight of a Wynn Resort.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier this year Billings received an 11 per cent pay rise, taking his annual earnings to $2m. His contract was also extended for a further four years \u2013 until 2027, around the time the RAK casino and resort is expected to be completed.<\/p>\n
Despite the fact the size of the casino at RAK is only four per cent of the total Wynn Resorts development, it is twice as large as the company\u2019s US offering in Las Vegas. In fact, it measures around 18,500 square meters in area, securing its place as one of the top 10 largest casinos in the world. The entire resort is expected to cost around $3.9 billion and open in four years\u2019 time.<\/p>\n
The announcement by RAK to open a casino in the region is likely to open the way for casinos and gambling in other Middle Eastern Nations. The tourism-friendly Dubai already boosts a Caesar\u2019s Palace resort (although no gambling occurs there \u2013 yet). Abu Dhabi announced it was to build an MGM more than a decade although, although that never came to fruition. Now it\u2019s believed the Emirates and other Middle Eastern nations will be competing for tourism by pressing the authorities to allow them to open their own gambling venues.<\/p>\n
Certainly, RAK is aiming to boost it is tourism by one third by introducing gambling into the Wynn Resort. Recent data shows five per cent of the region\u2019s GDP was the result of tourism spending on food and accommodation. The majority of tourists to the region were Chinese.
\nIn the same year \u2013 2019 – the number of tourists in the UAE as a whole reached the highest-ever number at 1.3 million visitors with tourism contributing more than 11 per cent to the nation\u2019s GDP. That was equivalent to ($49.13 billion. By 2031 they plan to have increased income to a whopping $450 billion.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe integrated development, featuring a world-class hotel, entertainment and gaming amenities, will add to the emirate\u2019s destination strategy to attract tourists from across the world,\u201d said Abdulla al-Abdooli, chief executive of Marjan, the master-developer of freehold property in Ras Al Khaimah.<\/p>\n
The reason the Middle East and countries such as Saudi Arabia, the Gulf, Dubai and Qatar are so keen to boost their tourism sector is because oil is playing a smaller part in their economies. This is down to OPEC-agreed production cuts, subdued external demand and higher interest rates causing a slowing of interest from the non-oil sector. As a result, the GDP of the UAE this year is expended to see a three per cent expansion (compared to more than seven per cent last year). That\u2019s according to data analytics company GlobalData.<\/p>\n
Opening a casino in RAK and making the island a \u2018rich man\u2019s playground\u2019 will potentially also lead to plenty of property investment in the UAE. This is the findings of a report from Knight Frank. The property company\u2019s Destination Dubai report found that East Asian multimillions were particularly keen to lay down physical roots there.<\/p>\n
More than 183 \u2018ultra-high-net-worth individuals\u2019 agreed to take part in the Knight Frank survey. All were worth around US$3.2 billion, with a spending power of US$2.5 billion. It noted not simply developer interest, but also residential leanings amongst the tycoons.<\/p>\n
In fact, 48 percent of those asked said they would probably buy a house on Dubai with the opening of a casino there. In addition, slightly less of those surveyed (45 per cent) were sure they would see another casino opening in the Emirates within the next 12 months. The most likely destination for the next casino to open is in the largest and most conservative Arab state \u2013 the capital city Abu Dhabi. That\u2019s according to 59 per cent of those asked in the survey. This compares to 58 per cent of respondents who are convinced the next gambling venue will be in Dubai at Caesar\u2019s Palace or MGM (or both). In addition, Dubai still has the ship, the Queen Elizabeth 2, operating as a hotel in the area, and with deactivated slot machines on board.<\/p>\n
Analysts point out that the airport currently runs raffles for tourists passing through on Emirates flights. In addition, a national Loto has been running for the past three years. This is where players buy a photo of a UAE location and are entered into a draw. This is achieved by buying a bottle of water for $9.50 and which is to be donated to charity. This is allowed in Sharia law because there is \u2018an exchange of value\u2019 (ie the bottle of water). There are horse racing courses in various UAE states where it\u2019s possible to enter a competition for \u2018pick six\u2019 for free. The prize is in cash.![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gaming-awards.com\/NEWS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/UAE2-300x200.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Dubai has already denied it is handing out a gambling licence to the likes of Caesars on it is Bluewaters Island resort. But, there is no doubt that in order to maintain its authority as the most-visited city in the UAE, it will have to come up with an offering to rival RAK. Perhaps that will be the three luxury Las Vegas brand hotels named The Island. From casino operator MGM Resorts these are due completion soon.<\/p>\n
Dubai still doesn\u2019t have permission for casinos to operate but it may only be a matter of time before the rules are overturned there too. After all, there is already a precedent of making major changes to the law. Today sex before marriage is legal, so too is drinking alcohol. And, as one, diplomat said recently, Dubai casino plans had been voiced earlier, but were put on hold \u2018due to deference\u2019 to the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who was then president.<\/p>\n
Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia all have casinos and sit in what could be described as the Middle Eastern part of the world. The question is, when gambling is introduced to the UAE and other Gulf nations, will it encourage Middle Eastern high-end individuals to seek entertainment further afield too, such as to the UK and America as the gambling bug takes hold?<\/p>\n
Pull out box
\nWhat is Ras al-Khaimah like?<\/p>\n
Ras al-Khaimah means the top of the tent\u2019 in Arabic. It is the furthest north of all the emirates in the UAE and, at its highest point, sits 6,345 feet above sea level.<\/p>\n
The island currently has a population of around nine million, but many of those are foreign workers. Those who live and work there abide by the rules of Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi. An autocratic head of state, he has the ultimate say over what happens on the island. Unlike on other UAE resorts, there aren\u2019t strict licencing laws here.<\/p>\n
RAK is famous for it is bathroom suites and other fittings here in the UK, and around the world. But that industry in itself won\u2019t sustain the island\u2019s economy. Instead it focuses on beach holidays and outdoor pursuits, with visitors from the likes of the UK, Russia, India and Egypt particularly prevalent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For centuries it was considered unthinkable, but now gambling is to go ahead in the Middle East. And it\u2019s not in Dubai or Qatar either, but rather the traditionally strict Arab Gulf. Ras Al Khaimah(RAK) is a group of seven islands in the United Arab Emirates, and the location for US casino operator Wynn Resorts […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":54465,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,11,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gaming","category-headlines","category-latest"],"yoast_head":"\n