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 get the incorrect concept: casinos and gambling aren’t coming to the spot.

Dubai houses the world’s tallest building and some of the most fascinating synthetic 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.

During an interview with Gulf News this week, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce CEO Issam Kazim was asked if there is an increasing appetite to welcome casinos to the city.

‘No, there is not a desire for casinos,’ Kazim declared. ‘ We must bear in brain that you can find cultural items that really are a concern to us.’

Non-Gaming Horizons

MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, 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 first-time by way of Dubai.

In March 2017, MGM reached an operating contract with Dubai-based Wasl Hospitality and Leisure to advise on the development of a 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.

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

Caesars CEO Mark Frissora said the venture into Dubai is part of its post-bankruptcy consider expanding to international markets and 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 largest and many populated city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), throughout the last decade Dubai leaders have actually made an endeavor to become less reliant on oil. Expanding the tourism sector happens to be a focus, and billions of dollars have been invested, lots of that are monies tied to your house of Al Falasi, the Dubai family that is royal.

Certainly one of the city’s main draws are the synthetic islands built within the Persian Gulf.

Dubai is now the sixth city that is most-visited the planet, according to the entire world Economic Forum. Nearly 15 million individuals checked out in 2017, a number that’s behind only Hong Kong, Bangkok, London, Singapore, plus the world’s richest gambling hub, Macau.

Dubai is thought to be a city that is progressive and it has eased some restrictions on what’s otherwise considered haram vices. Adult non-Muslims are permitted to consume alcohol in licensed venues typically found in city resorts.

But gambling — frequently included on so-called ‘sin industry’ lists, along with alcohol, tobacco, weapons production, and products that are sex-related; is unlikely 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 third locale that is most-visited the world.

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

Nevada is America’s most state that is gambling-addicted 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 cellular devices.

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

That will come as surprise that is little nevertheless the placement of other states in the study results might be worthy of a few 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 many different gaming factors for every single state) and ‘gambling issue and treatment.’ The weighted groups included factors such as the number 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 of all gambling-addicted states with a total score of 62.43. It ranked very first in gambling friendliness, and 10th in gambling issue and treatment.

Nevada has got the most gambling enterprises 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 gambling-addicted states are Montana (52.9), Mississippi (51.8), and Louisiana (44.7).

Four of the top five are repeat offenders. Louisiana could be the newest entry, up from number 9 in 2017, while West Virginia (#5 in 2017), dropped back again to # 6 in 2010.

Listing Down And Up

Pennsylvania — which generates the second-most gaming that is gross revenue behind only Nevada — placed #27 on final years WalletHub list. But utilizing 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 day-to-day dream 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 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 issue and treatment, with nearly three percent of most adults recognized as have a gambling disorder.

Implications of Legal Sports Betting

Much of the US will dsicover their ‘gambling friendliness’ score increase, should recreations 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 game in most but four states.

WalletHub asked five behavioral and psychology experts whether sports betting should be allowed at the level that is federal. All five said it should, utilizing the basic opinion that eliminating unregulated illegal offshore and underground sportsbooks is in the most useful interest of both consumers and the gaming industry.

‘ The main reason that states want gambling is money. You will want 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 anticipated 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 day that is very the Horseshoe Southern Indiana had been awarded permission by the Indiana Gaming Commission to move its operations onto dry land, hundreds of kilometers south the Louisiana Senate was 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 the state’s casino industry so it can compete with its neighbors. (Image: Sarah Camard/Gambit Weekly)

The Louisiana Senate voted 22-14 to pass State Senator Ronnie Johns’ (R-Lake Charles) SB316, which will let the state’s 15 riverboat casinos to help 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 requires each center to have a paddle wheel that is operational.

Horseshoe Gets Lucky

Indiana passed a similar bill in 2015, and not really a moment too quickly for the Horseshoe that has been turn off on at minimum five occasions xbettr because of the flooding of the Ohio river where it has been permanently docked since its establishment in 1998. The most closure that is recent in February, at great cost 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 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 look ahead 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 current limitation of 30,000 square foot would be changed 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, enabling it to incorporate bigger slots utilizing the latest cutting-edge technology, which will help it to deflect competition from the casinos of Oklahoma and Mississippi.

State Senator Danny Martiny (R-Dist. 10) consented, and berated senators that are fellow thought otherwise.

We have got an industry that is supplying us with income, thank Jesus,’ Martiny stated. ‘Everybody that’s against it, sure doesn’t shy far from coming to Appropriations and asking for some of that cash.