LONDON: Ras Al-Khaimah will host the UAE’s first casino when the Wynn Marjan opens in the emirate, it was reported on Thursday.
The emirate is currently writing gaming laws for the casino, which is set to be double the size of the Wynn flagship hotel in Las Vegas, using Singaporean and US regulations as its foundation, according to Hotelier.
The casino is set to open in 2026 and will be around 18,500 square meters in size, which would make it one of the 10 biggest casinos in the world.
Reports said the resort will be located on Dream Island, an unused area on Ras Al Khaimah’s Marjan Island.
“We certainly don’t want to underbuild the casino,” said Wynn Resorts CEO Craig Billings.
“The casino component, where at least for some period of time we will be operating on our own,…is shaping up to be somewhat larger than Wynn Las Vegas, but with numerous pockets of energy and compression.”
He said earlier this year that Wynn would not enter a market without gaming legislation but stated that “no further enabling legislation is required” and added that the project has “a very high return opportunity.”
Billings also praised the connectivity of the UAE to the rest of the world.
“The UAE is already a substantial destination for not only the region but for Europe, for British, for Germans, for folks from all over the place. So, this is a significant customer acquisition opportunity and a really material extension of our brand.
“When we open that property, 95 percent of the world’s population will be within an eight-hour flight of a Wynn Resorts property,” he said.