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 obtain the wrong concept: casinos and gambling are not visiting the spot.

Dubai houses the globe’s building that is tallest and some of the many fascinating artificial islands, but casinos won’t presumably be coming anytime soon.

Gambling is considered ‘haram’ under Islamic law: an activity that is forbidden 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 is not a desire for casinos,’ Kazim declared. ‘ We have to bear in mind that you will find cultural items that are really a priority to us.’

Non-Gaming Horizons

MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, correspondingly rated number 2 and #5 with regards to gross gaming revenue of the planet’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 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 Hotel, MGM Residences, and Bellagio Hotel.

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

Caesars CEO Mark Frissora stated the venture into Dubai is section of its post-bankruptcy give attention to 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 biggest and many populated town in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), during the last decade Dubai leaders have made an endeavor to become less reliant on oil. Expanding the tourism sector is a focus, and billions of dollars have actually been invested, many of which are monies linked with your house of Al Falasi, the Dubai family that is royal.

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 world, according to the entire world Economic Forum. Nearly 15 million people visited in 2017, a number that’s behind only Hong Kong, Bangkok, London, Singapore, plus the world’s richest gambling hub, Macau.

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

But gambling — frequently included on so-called ‘sin industry’ listings, along with alcohol, tobacco, tools production, and products that are sex-related; is unlikely to be coming to Dubai anytime soon, if ever.

However, city officials in Dubai have a committed goal of inviting 20 million tourists per 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 state that is gambling-addicted according to a new study conducted by WalletHub.com, an online finance website that is personal. It’s probably the least surprising study results since one that showed that more than 50 percent of teenagers are hooked on their mobile phones.

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

Which should come as surprise that is little but the placement of some other states into the study results may be worthy of a few 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 assessment considered two primary areas, ‘gambling friendliness’ (a quotient that combined a variety of video gaming factors for every state) and ‘gambling issue and treatment.’ The weighted groups included factors such as the range 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 most gambling-addicted states with a total score of 62.43. It ranked very first in gambling friendliness, and 10th in gambling problem and treatment.

Nevada gets the most gambling enterprises and gaming machines per capita, and fifth-highest rate of gambling addiction.

One might suspect New Jersey or Pennsylvania to come next, but that ‘honor’ goes to South Dakota, which scored 53.1. Rounding out 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 is the entry that is newest, up from #9 in 2017, while West Virginia (#5 in 2017), dropped back to #6 this season.

Detailing Down And Up

Pennsylvania — which creates the second-most gaming that is gross 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 as many as 10 satellite that is new, along with impending online gambling and day-to-day fantasy activities, and slots inside truck stops and airport video gaming lounges, Pennsylvania has surged a dozen spots, up to #15.

Illinois was 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 dropped two spots to #8. The Garden State ranks 2nd in gambling treatment and problem, with nearly three % of all 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 several 50 states. The Supreme Court is expected to soon hand its opinion down on the present federal ban that prohibits the game in every but four 1xbet şikayet 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 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 don’t you 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 activities gambling 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 very time that the Horseshoe Southern Indiana had been issued 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 permitted to come onto dry land after 25 years within the beverage. He desires to modernize the state’s casino industry therefore 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 will enable the state’s 15 riverboat gambling enterprises to really make the evolutionary jump, provided 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 calls for each facility to have a operational paddle wheel.

Horseshoe Gets Lucky

Indiana passed a similar bill in 2015, and not really a moment too soon for the Horseshoe that has been power down on at minimum five occasions due to the flooding of the Ohio river where this has been permanently docked since its establishment in 1998. The absolute most recent closure was in February, at great cost to the state.

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 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.’

Expansion or Evolution?

A lot 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 restriction of 30,000 square legs would be changed 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 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) consented, and berated fellow senators who thought otherwise.

We’ve got a business that is providing us with income, thank Jesus,’ Martiny said. ‘Everybody that’s against it, sure doesn’t shy away from coming to Appropriations and asking for some of that cash.

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