Dubai Tourism Chief Says City Won’t Become Gaming Destination, Despite MGM and Caesars Projects
Dubai will quickly become house to hotel properties branded by MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, but area officials say never have the incorrect concept: casinos and gambling are not arriving at the spot.
Dubai is home to the globe’s building that is tallest and some of the many fascinating artificial islands, but casinos will not presumably be coming anytime soon.
Gambling is considered ‚haram‘ under Islamic law: a forbidden activity that goes against sacred texts present in 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 is not a desire for casinos,‘ Kazim declared. ‚ We must bear in head that you will find cultural things that really are a concern to us.‘
Non-Gaming Horizons
MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, respectively rated no. 2 and #5 when it comes to gross gaming revenue of the earth’s casino operators, are starting the Middle East for the time that is first way of Dubai.
In March 2017, MGM reached a running agreement with Dubai-based Wasl Hospitality and Leisure to advise on the development of the location resort, and as soon as completed in 2021, run its operations.
The 26-acre beachfront complex will feature the MGM resort, MGM Residences, and Bellagio Hotel.
Previously this month, Caesars Entertainment announced a partnership with Meraas, also a Dubai development firm, to handle and run component of the $1.6 billion Bluewaters that is man-made Island. Caesars are responsible for hospitality and entertainment on the land that is artificial measures roughly 80 acres.
Caesars CEO Mark Frissora said the venture into Dubai is element of its post-bankruptcy consider expanding to markets that are international 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 many city that is populated the United Arab Emirates (UAE), throughout the last decade Dubai leaders have actually made an attempt to become less reliant on oil. Expanding the tourism sector was a focus, and billions of dollars have actually been invested, many of that are monies associated with your house of Al Falasi, the Dubai royal family.
Certainly one of the city’s main draws are the islands that are artificial in the Persian Gulf.
Dubai is now the sixth most-visited town in the planet, according to the World Economic Forum. Nearly 15 million individuals checked out in 2017, a number that’s behind only Hong Kong, Bangkok, London, Singapore, while the world’s gambling hub that is richest, Macau.
Dubai is considered to be a city that is progressive and it has eased some restrictions about what’s otherwise considered haram vices. Adult non-Muslims are permitted to consume alcohol in licensed venues typically present in city resorts.
But gambling — often included on so-called ’sin industry‘ listings, along with alcohol, tobacco, tools production, and products that are sex-related; is not likely to be coming to Dubai any time soon, if ever.
However, city officials in Dubai have an ambitious goal of welcoming 20 million tourists a year by 2020, which would make it the 3rd most-visited locale in 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 personal finance site. It’s possibly the least surprising study outcomes since the one that revealed that more than 50 percent of teens are hooked on their cellular devices.
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 surprise that is little but the placement of several other states into the study results may be worthy of several raised 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 variety of gaming factors for every state) and ‚gambling problem and treatment.‘ The weighted groups included factors such as for instance the quantity of commercial and tribal casinos per capita, and portion 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 ranked first in gambling friendliness, and 10th in gambling issue and therapy.
Nevada has got the most casinos and gaming devices per capita, and fifth-highest rate of gambling addiction.
One might suspect New Jersey or Pennsylvania in the future next, but that ‚honor‘ goes to South Dakota, which scored 53.1. Rounding out of the top five most gambling-addicted states are Montana (52.9), Mississippi (51.8), and Louisiana (44.7).
Four of the top five are repeat offenders. Louisiana is the newest entry, up from no. 9 in 2017, while West Virginia (#5 in 2017), dropped back to # 6 this season.
Listing Down And Up
Pennsylvania — which creates the second-most gross gaming casino revenue behind only Nevada — placed #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 day-to-day dream activities, and slot machines inside truck stops and airport video gaming lounges, Pennsylvania has surged a dozen spots, up to #15.
Illinois had been another mover-upper, going from #18 in 2017 to #9 on this year’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-new jersey fell two spots to #8. The Garden State ranks second in gambling treatment and problem, with nearly three percent of most 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 many 50 states. The Supreme Court is expected to soon hand its opinion down on the present federal ban that prohibits the experience in all but four states.
WalletHub asked five behavioral and psychology experts whether sports betting should be allowed at the federal level. All five said it will, with all the general 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. Why not 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 anticipated http://1xbets-giris.top/ to pass sports 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 very time that the Horseshoe Southern Indiana ended up being provided authorization by the Indiana Gaming Commission to move its operations onto dry land, hundreds of miles south the Louisiana Senate had been 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 within the beverage. He really wants to modernize the state’s casino industry so that it can compete along with its next-door neighbors. (Image: Sarah Camard/Gambit Weekly)
The Louisiana Senate voted 22-14 to pass State Senator Ronnie Johns‘ (R-Lake Charles) SB316, which would permit the state’s 15 riverboat gambling enterprises to help make the leap that is evolutionary supplied all gambling activities are conducted within 1,200 legs of their licensed berths.
Johns‘ bill would also remove a quirky statute from Louisiana gamble law that calls for each center to have a paddle wheel that is operational.
Horseshoe Gets Lucky
Indiana passed a bill that is similar 2015, and not just a minute too soon for the Horseshoe that has been turn off on at least five occasions because of 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 center or should that be ‚above-land-based center,‘ because the Caesars-owned casino will be slightly elevated to negate the possibility of flooding.
‚This task further demonstrates our continued enthusiasm for and commitment to the state,‘ said Brad Siegel, senior vice president during the Horseshoe. ‚We appreciate the Commission’s decision today and appearance forward to continuing our positive working relationships at the State and local level.‘
Evolution or expansion?
Much 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 feet would be replaced 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 their state’s creaking casino sector, permitting it to incorporate bigger slots using 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) agreed, and berated other senators who thought otherwise.
We’ve got a business that is supplying us with income, thank God,‘ Martiny said. ‚Everybody that’s against it, sure doesn’t shy away from coming to Appropriations and asking for some of that money.