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The gaming authority had previously issued only one license to Abu Dhabi’s National Lottery Company since its establishment in 2023.
Josh Corder
Wynn Resorts announced on Friday that it has been awarded the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) General Commercial Gambling Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), the country’s first casino license.
A release from Wynn Resorts states that it is a “commercial gaming facility operating license” and has been awarded to “the entity developing Wynn Al Marjan Island.” The project’s developers are government-owned Marjan and RAK Hospitality Holding. Wynn Resorts is investing $900 million to acquire a 40% stake in the venture.
The $3.9 billion Win Al Marjan Island project was announced in early 2022 and is expected to open in the first quarter of 2027. The project will include more than 1,500 hotel rooms, 22 restaurants and a large mall. As for gaming, the casino floor is expected to be approximately 224,000 square feet, slightly larger than the casino at Wynn Las Vegas.
On October 8, Wynn will provide an update on the Wynn Al Marjan Island project to analysts and investors.
GCGRA has so far only issued one gaming license since its establishment in September 2023, and that license was only issued to Abu Dhabi’s national lottery company, The Game. This is the second license for Win Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah.
GCGRA did not respond to requests for comment.
GCGRA’s board of directors is chaired by Jim Mullen, who served as chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts from 2008 to 2020.
Last month, MGM Resorts CEO Bill Hornbuckle said at the Skift Global Forum 2024 that the company had also applied for a casino license in the country. MGM Resorts does not have any hotels in operation yet.
โYes, there is.โ [applied]. We did it in Abu Dhabi,โ Hornbuckle said. โHow it works is that the federal government in Abu Dhabi approves it. We have applied for it and hopefully we can get a license there. Each ruler has his or her own cities, each can say yes or no.