Dubai Tourism Chief States 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 get the idea that is wrong casinos and gambling are not arriving at 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 meeting with Gulf News this week, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce CEO Issam Kazim was asked if there was clearly an increasing appetite to welcome casinos to the city.
‘No, there isn’t a desire for casinos,’ Kazim declared. ‘ We must bear in head that you can find cultural things that really are a priority to us.’
Non-Gaming Horizons
MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, correspondingly ranked number 2 and #5 in terms of gross gaming revenue of the world’s casino operators, are starting the center East for the very first time by way of Dubai.
In March 2017, MGM reached an operating agreement with Dubai-based Wasl Hospitality and Leisure to advise on the growth of a location resort, and as soon as completed in 2021, run its operations.
The beachfront that is 26-acre will feature the MGM resort, MGM Residences, and Bellagio Hotel.
Earlier this month, Caesars Entertainment announced a partnership with Meraas, also a Dubai development firm, to handle and run component of the $1.6 billion man-made Bluewaters Island. Caesars will be responsible for hospitality and entertainment in 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, said its Bluewaters partners Meraas put any gambling talk ‘to rest really quickly.’
Expanding Tourism
The biggest and many populated town in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), over the last decade Dubai leaders have made an effort to become less reliant on oil. Expanding the tourism sector is a center point, and billions of dollars have actually been spent, many of that are monies tied to the home of Al Falasi, the Dubai family that is royal.
Certainly one of the town’s main draws are the artificial islands built within the Persian Gulf.
Dubai is now the sixth most-visited city in the planet, based on the planet Economic Forum. Nearly 15 million people checked out in 2017, a number that’s behind only Hong Kong, Bangkok, London, Singapore, and also the world’s gambling hub that is richest, Macau.
Dubai is thought to be a city that is progressive and has eased some restrictions on which’s otherwise considered haram vices. Adult non-Muslims are permitted to eat liquor in licensed venues typically found in city resorts.
But gambling — often included on so-called ‘sin industry’ lists, 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 a committed goal of inviting 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, Study Reveals
Nevada is America’s most gambling-addicted state, according to a new study conducted by WalletHub.com, an online personal finance internet site. It’s possibly the least study that is surprising since one which revealed that more than 50 percent of teenagers are addicted to their cellular devices.
Nevada holds the record for the many addicted gamblers, a study that is new. And no one is surprised. (Image: File/Getty)
That will come as little shock, but the placement of several other states within 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 evaluation considered two areas that are main ‘gambling friendliness’ (a quotient that combined a variety of gaming factors for every state) and ‘gambling problem 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 available number of behavioral counselors.
Nevada topped the list of all gambling-addicted states with a total score of 62.43. It ranked very first in gambling friendliness, and 10th in gambling treatment and problem.
Nevada has the most casinos and gaming machines per capita, and fifth-highest rate of gambling addiction.
One may 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 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 entry that is newest, up from number 9 in 2017, while West Virginia (#5 in 2017), dropped back again to number 6 this year.
Listing Up and Down
Pennsylvania — which yields the second-most gross gaming casino revenue behind only Nevada — put #27 on last years WalletHub list. But using the Keystone State in the process of further expanding its commercial industry with up to 10 satellite that is new, along with impending online gambling and daily fantasy sports, and slots 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 12 months’s list. Though Illinois ranks 25th in gaming devices per capita and 21st in lottery sales, no state has more gambling-related arrests per capita, according to WalletHub.
Atlantic City’s New Jersey fell two spots to #8. The Garden State ranks second in gambling issue and treatment, with nearly three % of all of the 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 many 50 states. The Supreme Court is expected to soon hand down its viewpoint on the current federal ban that prohibits the game 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 should, with all the general opinion that eliminating unregulated illegal offshore and underground sportsbooks is within the most readily useful interest of both consumers and the gaming industry.
‘ The main reason that states want gambling is money. Have you thought to make sports gambling legal? Gamblers will gamble anyhow,’ Indiana University Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Professor Emeritus Jim Sherman noted.
as 20 states would be likely to pass recreations 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 http://1xbets-giris.top/ 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 allowed to come onto dry land after 25 years into the drink. He desires to modernize their state’s casino industry therefore it can compete using 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 will permit the state’s 15 riverboat gambling enterprises to make the leap that is evolutionary 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 requires each center to have a functional paddle wheel.
Horseshoe Gets Lucky
Indiana passed a similar bill in 2015, and not really a minute too soon for the Horseshoe which includes been turn off on at least five occasions because of the flooding of the Ohio river where it offers been permanently docked since its establishment in 1998. The most present closure was in February, at great price to hawaii.
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 risk of flooding.
‘This task further shows our continued enthusiasm for and commitment to your state,’ said Brad Siegel, senior vice president at the Horseshoe. ‘We appreciate the Commission’s decision today and appear 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 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 their state’s creaking casino sector, permitting it to incorporate bigger slots utilizing 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) agreed, and berated senators that are fellow thought otherwise.
We have got a market that is supplying 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.
