Dubai Tourism Chief Claims City Won’t Become Gaming Destination, Despite MGM and Caesars Projects
Dubai will soon become home to hotel properties branded by MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, but area officials say do not obtain the idea that is wrong casinos and gambling aren’t arriving at the spot.
Dubai is home to the world’s tallest building plus some of the most fascinating artificial islands, but casinos won’t presumably be coming anytime soon.
Gambling is considered ‘haram’ under Islamic law: an activity that is forbidden goes against sacred texts present the Quran.
This week, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce CEO Issam Kazim was asked if there was a growing appetite to welcome casinos to the city during an interview with Gulf News.
‘No, there isn’t a desire for casinos,’ Kazim declared. ‘ We have to bear in brain that you will find cultural items that really are a priority to us.’
Non-Gaming Horizons
MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, gamblingprofessors.com respectively rated no. 2 and #5 in terms of gross gaming revenue of the world’s casino operators, are embarking on the center East for the very first time by way of Dubai.
In March 2017, MGM reached a running contract with Dubai-based Wasl Hospitality and Leisure to advise on the development of the location resort, and when completed in 2021, run its operations.
The beachfront that is 26-acre will feature the MGM resort, MGM Residences, and Bellagio Hotel.
Earlier in the day this month, Caesars Entertainment announced a partnership with Meraas, also a Dubai development firm, to handle and operate part of the $1.6 billion man-made Bluewaters Island. Caesars will be responsible for hospitality and entertainment on the artificial land that measures roughly 80 acres.
Caesars CEO Mark Frissora stated the venture into Dubai is section of its post-bankruptcy concentrate on expanding to international areas and lending the brand to hoteliers. Bob Morse, the company’s president of hospitality, stated its Bluewaters partners Meraas put any gambling talk ‘to rest very quickly.’
Expanding Tourism
The largest and most populated town in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), throughout the last decade Dubai leaders have actually made an effort to become less reliant on oil. Expanding the tourism sector happens to be a focal point, and billions of dollars have actually been spent, lots of that are monies tied to your house of Al Falasi, the Dubai royal household.
Certainly one of the town’s main draws are the artificial islands built in the Persian Gulf.
Dubai is today the sixth city that is most-visited the world, in accordance with the planet Economic Forum. Nearly 15 million individuals visited in 2017, lots that’s behind only Hong Kong, Bangkok, London, Singapore, and the world’s richest gambling hub, Macau.
Dubai is thought to be a city that is progressive and has now eased some restrictions on which’s otherwise considered haram vices. Adult non-Muslims are permitted to consume liquor in licensed venues typically found in city resorts.
But gambling — often included on so-called ‘sin industry’ lists, along with alcohol, tobacco, tools manufacturing, and sex-related products — is unlikely to be coming to Dubai anytime soon, if ever.
However, city officials in Dubai have an ambitious goal of welcoming 20 million tourists per year by 2020, which would make it the 3rd locale that is most-visited the world.
Shocker, Not: Nevada Most Gambling-Addicted State, Research Reveals
Nevada is America’s most gambling-addicted state, in accordance with a new study conducted by WalletHub.com, an online finance website that is personal. It’s possibly the least study that is surprising since one that showed that more than 50 percent of teens are dependent on their mobile phones.
Nevada holds the record for the many addicted gamblers, a study that is new. With no one is surprised. (Image: File/Getty)
That will come as little shock, but the placement of various other states in the study results may be worthy of several elevated eyebrows.
The old-fashioned way, WalletHub says it studied 19 key metric indicators to determine where excessive gambling is most prevalent in its third year evaluating which US states are the most addicted to taking chances with their money.
The assessment considered two main areas, ‘gambling friendliness’ (a quotient that combined a number of gaming factors for every state) and ‘gambling problem and treatment.’ The weighted groups included factors such as for example the number of commercial and tribal gambling enterprises per capita, and percentage of adults with gambling disorders and parallel available number of behavioral counselors.
Nevada topped record on most gambling-addicted states with a total score of 62.43. It rated very first in gambling friendliness, and 10th in gambling treatment and problem.
Nevada gets the most casinos and gaming devices per capita, and rate that is fifth-highest of addiction.
One may suspect nj-new Jersey or Pennsylvania to come next, but that ‘honor’ goes to South Dakota, which scored 53.1. Rounding out the top five many states that are gambling-addicted Montana (52.9), Mississippi (51.8), and Louisiana (44.7).
Four of the top five are repeat offenders. Louisiana could be the latest entry, up from number 9 in 2017, while West Virginia (#5 in 2017), dropped back to #6 this present year.
Listing Up and Down
Pennsylvania — which yields the second-most gross gaming casino revenue behind only Nevada — placed #27 on last years WalletHub list. But with the Keystone State in the process of further expanding its commercial industry with up to 10 new satellite casinos, along with impending on line gambling and daily fantasy recreations, and slot machines inside truck stops and airport video gaming lounges, Pennsylvania has surged a dozen spots, up to #15.
Illinois ended up being another mover-upper, going from #18 in 2017 to #9 on this 12 months’s list. No state has more gambling-related arrests per capita, according to WalletHub though Illinois ranks 25th in gaming machines per capita and 21st in lottery sales.
Atlantic City’s nj dropped two spots to #8. The Garden State ranks second in gambling problem and therapy, with nearly three percent of all adults recognized as have a gambling disorder.
Implications of Legal Sports Betting
A lot of the US might find their ‘gambling friendliness’ score increase, should activities betting be legalized for all 50 states. The Supreme Court is expected to soon hand straight down its opinion on the present federal ban that prohibits the experience in most but four states.
WalletHub asked five behavioral and psychology experts whether sports betting should be allowed at the federal level. All five said it should, because of the basic opinion that eliminating unregulated illegal offshore and underground sportsbooks is within the interest that is best of both consumers and the gaming industry.
‘ The reason that is main states want gambling is money. You will want to make sports wagering legal? Gamblers will gamble anyhow,’ Indiana University Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Professor Emeritus Jim Sherman noted.
as 20 states would be expected to pass activities gambling laws in the coming years should SCOTUS repeal the federal ban.
Land in Sight for Louisiana Riverboat Casinos as State Senate Passes ‘River to Shore’ Bill
On Tuesday, the day that is very the Horseshoe Southern Indiana was granted permission by the Indiana Gaming Commission to go its operations onto dry land, hundreds of kilometers south the Louisiana Senate ended up being approving a bill that would additionally propel its own riverboat casinos onto terra firma.
State Senator Ronnie Johns believes Louisiana riverboat casinos should be allowed to come onto dry land after 25 years in the beverage. He desires to modernize the state’s casino industry so that it can compete with its next-door neighbors. (Image: Sarah Camard/Gambit Weekly)
The Louisiana Senate voted 22-14 to pass through State Senator Ronnie Johns’ (R-Lake Charles) SB316, which would allow the state’s 15 riverboat gambling enterprises to make the evolutionary jump, supplied all gambling activities are conducted within 1,200 foot of their licensed berths.
Johns’ bill would also remove a quirky statute from Louisiana gamble law that calls for each center to have a operational paddle wheel.
Horseshoe Gets Lucky
Indiana passed a similar bill in 2015, and not really a moment too quickly for the Horseshoe which includes been turn off on at least five occasions due to the flooding of the Ohio river where it’s been permanently docked since its establishment in 1998. The absolute most closure that is recent in February, at great expense to their state.
The Indiana regulator on Tuesday approved a $85 million land-based facility or should that be ‘above-land-based center,’ because the Caesars-owned casino will be slightly elevated to negate the risk of flooding.
‘This project further demonstrates our continued enthusiasm for and commitment towards the state,’ said Brad Siegel, senior vice president at the Horseshoe. ‘We appreciate the Commission’s decision today and appearance ahead to continuing our positive working relationships at the State and local level.’
Expansion or development?
A lot of the debate in Louisiana, meanwhile, was whether Johns’ bill constituted gambling expansion, since it proposes reworking the cap on casino floor space. The limit that is current of square foot would be changed by a cap on gambling positions or the amount of seats in front side of slots at 2,365.
Johns stated his bill would modernize hawaii’s creaking casino sector, enabling it to incorporate bigger slots aided by the latest cutting-edge technology, which will surely help it to deflect competition from the casinos of Oklahoma and Mississippi.
State Senator Danny Martiny (R-Dist. 10) consented, and berated fellow senators who thought otherwise.
We’ve got an industry that is providing us with income, thank God,’ Martiny stated. ‘Everybody that’s against it, sure doesn’t shy away from coming to Appropriations and asking for some of that money.