Dubai Tourism Chief States 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 don’t obtain the incorrect concept: casinos and gambling aren’t arriving at the spot.

Dubai hosts the world’s building that is tallest plus 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 found 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 isn’t a desire for casinos,’ Kazim declared. ‘ We must bear in head that you can find cultural items that are a definite concern to us.’

Non-Gaming Horizons

MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, correspondingly ranked #2 and #5 with regards to gross gaming revenue of the world’s casino operators, are starting the Middle East for the first time by way of Dubai.

In March 2017, MGM reached a running agreement with Dubai-based Wasl Hospitality and Leisure to advise on the development of a location 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, additionally a Dubai development firm, to manage and run part of the $1.6 billion man-made Bluewaters Island. Caesars will likely be 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 part 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 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 has been a focal point, and billions of dollars have been spent, lots of that are monies associated with your house of Al Falasi, the Dubai family that is royal.

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

Dubai is now the sixth city that is most-visited the entire world, according to the World Economic Forum. Nearly 15 million people visited in 2017, lots that’s behind only Hong Kong, Bangkok, London, Singapore, therefore the world’s gambling hub that is richest, Macau.

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

But gambling — often included on so-called ‘sin industry’ lists, along with alcohol, tobacco, weapons production, and sex-related products — is not likely to be coming to Dubai any time in the future, if ever.

However, city officials in Dubai have a committed goal of welcoming 20 million tourists a year by 2020, which would make it the 3rd locale that is most-visited the world.

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

Nevada is America’s most gambling-addicted state, according to a new study conducted by WalletHub.com, an online finance website that is personal. It’s probably the least study that is surprising since one that showed that more than 50 percent of teens are dependent on their mobile devices.

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

That should come as little surprise, but the positioning of other states into the study results may be worthy of several elevated eyebrows.

In its third year evaluating which US states would be https://gamblingprofessors.com/tr/ the many addicted to taking chances with their money the antique means, WalletHub says it learned 19 key metric indicators to ascertain where excessive gambling is most prevalent.

The evaluation considered two main areas, ‘gambling friendliness’ (a quotient that combined a variety of video gaming factors for each state) and ‘gambling problem and treatment.’ The weighted categories included factors such as for example the range commercial and tribal gambling enterprises 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 score that is total of. It rated first in gambling friendliness, and 10th in gambling problem and therapy.

Nevada has 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 in the future next, but that ‘honor’ goes to South Dakota, which scored 53.1. Rounding out 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 latest entry, up from no. 9 in 2017, while West Virginia (#5 in 2017), dropped back once again to number 6 in 2010.

Listing Down And Up

Pennsylvania — which generates the second-most gaming that is gross revenue behind only Nevada — placed #27 on last years WalletHub list. But because of the Keystone State in the process of further expanding its commercial industry with as many as 10 new satellite casinos, along with impending online gambling and day-to-day dream activities, and slots inside truck stops and airport 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. 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 nj-new jersey fell two spots to #8. The Garden State ranks 2nd in gambling treatment and problem, with nearly three per cent of all of the adults recognized as have a gambling disorder.

Implications of Legal Sports Betting

A lot of the US will discover 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 federal level. All five said it will, because of the general opinion that eliminating unregulated illegal offshore and underground sportsbooks is within the best interest of both consumers and the gaming industry.

‘ The major reason that states want gambling is money. You will want to make sports betting legal? Gamblers will gamble anyway,’ Indiana University Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Professor Emeritus Jim Sherman noted.

as 20 states would be expected to pass sports betting 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 day that the Horseshoe Southern Indiana was issued authorization by the Indiana Gaming Commission to move 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 into the beverage. He wants to modernize their state’s casino industry so it can compete along 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 will allow the state’s 15 riverboat casinos 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 similar bill in 2015, and not a minute too quickly for the Horseshoe which includes been shut down on at least five occasions because of the flooding of the Ohio river where it has been permanently docked since its establishment in 1998. The absolute most present closure had been in February, at great expense to the state.

The Indiana regulator on Tuesday approved a $85 million land-based center 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 demonstrates 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 look forward to continuing our positive working relationships at the State and local level.’

Expansion or Evolution?

Much 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 limitation of 30,000 square legs would be changed by a limit on gambling positions or the amount of seats in front of slots at 2,365.

Johns stated his bill would modernize the state’s creaking casino sector, permitting it to incorporate bigger slots because of 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 market that is 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 cash.