Dubai Tourism Chief Says 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 cannot have the idea that is wrong casinos and gambling are not visiting the region.

Dubai houses the world’s building that is tallest and some of the most fascinating synthetic islands, but casinos won’t presumably be coming anytime soon.

Gambling is considered ‘haram’ under Islamic law: a forbidden activity that goes against sacred texts found in the Quran.

During an interview with Gulf News this week, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce CEO Issam Kazim was asked if there was clearly a growing appetite to welcome gambling enterprises to the city.

‘No, there is not a desire for casinos,’ Kazim declared. ‘ We need to bear in head that there are cultural things that really are a concern to us.’

Non-Gaming Horizons

MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, correspondingly rated no. 2 and #5 when it comes to gross gaming revenue of the planet’s casino operators, are getting into the Middle East for the first time by way of Dubai.

In March 2017, MGM reached a working agreement with Dubai-based Wasl Hospitality and Leisure to advise on the development of the destination resort, and when completed in 2021, run its operations.

The 26-acre beachfront complex will feature the MGM Hotel, MGM Residences, and Bellagio Hotel.

Early in the day this month, Caesars Entertainment announced a partnership with Meraas, also a Dubai development firm, to manage and run component of the $1.6 billion Bluewaters that is man-made Island. Caesars are going to be responsible for hospitality and entertainment on the land that is artificial measures roughly 80 acres.

Caesars CEO Mark Frissora stated the venture into Dubai is element of its post-bankruptcy concentrate on expanding to markets that are international lending the brand to hoteliers. Bob Morse, the company’s president of hospitality, said its Bluewaters partners Meraas put any gambling talk ‘to rest very quickly.’

Expanding Tourism

The largest and many city that is populated the United Arab Emirates (UAE), during the last decade Dubai leaders have actually made an attempt to become less reliant on oil. Expanding the tourism sector has been a focal point, and billions of dollars have actually been spent, a lot of that are monies linked with the House of Al Falasi, the Dubai royal household.

One of the city’s main draws are the artificial islands built in the Persian Gulf.

Dubai is now the sixth most-visited town in the world, in accordance with the planet Economic Forum. Nearly 15 million individuals checked out in 2017, lots that’s behind only Hong Kong, Bangkok, London, Singapore, therefore the world’s richest gambling hub, Macau.

Dubai is thought to be a modern city, and has now eased some restrictions on what’s otherwise considered haram vices. Adult non-Muslims are permitted to eat liquor in licensed venues typically present in city resorts.

But gambling — usually included on so-called ‘sin industry’ listings, along with alcohol, tobacco, weapons manufacturing, and sex-related products — is unlikely to be coming to Dubai any time soon, if ever.

However, city officials in Dubai have an ambitious goal of inviting 20 million tourists a year by 2020, which would make it the third most-visited locale in the globe.

Shocker, Not: Nevada Most Gambling-Addicted State, Research Reveals

Nevada is America’s most state that is gambling-addicted in accordance with a new study conducted by WalletHub.com, an online personal finance site. It’s possibly the least surprising study outcomes since one which showed that more than 50 percent of teens are hooked on their mobile devices.

Nevada holds the record for the many addicted gamblers, a study that is new. With no one is surprised. (Image: File/Getty)

Which should come as little shock, but the placement of several other states within the study results might be worthy of several raised eyebrows.

In its third year evaluating which US states are the many hooked on taking chances with their cash the antique way, WalletHub says it learned 19 key metric indicators to determine where excessive gambling is most predominant.

The evaluation considered two areas that are main ‘gambling friendliness’ (a quotient that combined many different video gaming factors for every single state) and ‘gambling issue and treatment.’ The weighted categories included factors such as for example the amount of commercial and tribal casinos per capita, and portion of grownups with gambling disorders and parallel number that is available of 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 issue and therapy.

Nevada has got the most gambling enterprises and gaming machines 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 of 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 may be the latest entry, up from no. 9 in 2017, while West Virginia (#5 in 2017), dropped back to #6 in 2010.

Listing Up and Down

Pennsylvania — which produces the second-most gaming that is gross revenue behind only Nevada — put #27 on final years WalletHub list. But because of the Keystone State in the process of further expanding its commercial industry with up to 10 satellite that is new, along with impending on line gambling and daily fantasy activities, and slot machines inside truck stops and airport video gaming lounges, Pennsylvania has surged a dozen spots, up to #15.

Illinois was 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 treatment and problem, with nearly three % of all of the adults recognized as have a gambling disorder.

Implications of Legal Sports Betting

Much of the US will see their ‘gambling friendliness’ score increase, should activities betting be legalized for several 50 states. The Supreme Court is expected to soon hand its opinion down on the present federal ban that prohibits the activity in most but four states.

WalletHub asked five behavioral and psychology experts whether sports betting should be permitted at the federal level. All five said it will, aided by the general viewpoint that eliminating unregulated illegal offshore and underground sportsbooks is in 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 anyway,’ Indiana University Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Professor Emeritus Jim Sherman noted.

as 20 states would be anticipated to pass activities betting laws in the coming years should SCOTUS repeal the ban that is federal.

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 had been granted authorization by the Indiana Gaming Commission to move its operations onto dry land, hundreds of miles south the Louisiana Senate ended up being approving a bill that would also propel its own riverboat gambling enterprises onto terra firma.

State Senator Ronnie Johns believes Louisiana riverboat casinos should be permitted to come onto dry land after 25 years in the beverage. He really wants to modernize their 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 may let the state’s 15 riverboat casinos to help make the evolutionary jump, supplied all gambling activities are conducted within 1,200 feet of their licensed berths.

Johns’ bill would also remove a quirky statute from Louisiana gamble law that requires each center to have a operational paddle wheel.

Horseshoe Gets Lucky

Indiana passed a bill that is similar 2015, and not just a moment too soon for the Horseshoe which includes been turn off on at minimum five occasions due to the flooding of the Ohio river where this has been permanently docked since its establishment in 1998. The absolute most current closure ended up being 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 facility,’ because the Caesars-owned casino will be slightly elevated to negate the possibility of flooding.

‘This project further shows our continued enthusiasm for and commitment towards the state,’ said Brad Siegel, senior vice president during the Horseshoe. ‘We appreciate the Commission’s decision today and appearance forward https://gamblingprofessors.com/tr/ to continuing our positive working relationships at the State and local level.’

Expansion or Evolution?

A lot of the debate in Louisiana, meanwhile, was whether Johns’ bill constituted expansion that is gambling since it proposes reworking the cap on casino floor space. The current restriction of 30,000 square legs would be replaced by a limit on gambling positions or the amount of seats in front side of slots at 2,365.

Johns said his bill would modernize the state’s creaking casino sector, allowing it to incorporate bigger slots utilizing the latest cutting-edge technology, which can only help it to deflect competition from the casinos of Oklahoma and Mississippi.

State Senator Danny Martiny (R-Dist. 10) consented, and berated other senators who thought otherwise.

We’ve got a market that’s supplying us with income, thank Jesus,’ Martiny said. ‘Everybody that is against it, sure doesn’t shy away from coming to Appropriations and asking for some of that money.