Dubai Tourism Chief States City Won’t Become Gaming Destination, Despite MGM and Caesars Projects

Dubai will soon become house to hotel properties branded by MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, but area officials say never obtain the idea that is wrong casinos and gambling are not visiting the region.

Dubai houses the globe’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 present 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 brain that there are cultural items that really are a priority to us.’

Non-Gaming Horizons

MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, respectively rated number 2 and #5 in terms of gross gaming revenue of the world’s casino operators, are getting into the center East for the first-time by way of Dubai.

In March 2017, MGM reached a working agreement with Dubai-based Wasl Hospitality and Leisure to advise on the growth of the destination resort, and as soon as completed in 2021, run its operations.

The 26-acre beachfront complex will feature the MGM resort, MGM Residences, and Bellagio Hotel.

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

Caesars CEO Mark Frissora said the venture into Dubai is element of its post-bankruptcy focus on expanding to international areas and lending the brand to hoteliers. Bob Morse, the company’s president of hospitality, stated its Bluewaters partners Meraas put any gambling talk ‘to rest very quickly.’

Expanding Tourism

The largest and many populated town in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), throughout the last decade Dubai leaders have made an attempt to become less reliant on oil. Expanding the tourism sector was a focus, and billions of dollars have been spent, many of which are monies linked with the home of Al Falasi, the Dubai royal household.

One of the town’s main draws are the islands that are artificial into the Persian Gulf.

Dubai is today the sixth city that is most-visited the world, in accordance with the entire world Economic Forum. Nearly 15 million people checked out in 2017, a number that’s behind only Hong Kong, Bangkok, London, Singapore, as well as the world’s gambling hub that is richest, Macau.

Dubai is considered to be a city that is progressive and has now eased some restrictions about what’s otherwise considered haram vices. Adult non-Muslims are permitted to take alcohol in licensed venues typically present in city resorts.

But gambling — usually included on so-called ‘sin industry’ listings, 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 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 gambling-addicted state, based on a new study conducted by WalletHub.com, an online finance website that is personal. It’s most likely the least study that is surprising since one which revealed that more than 50 percent of teens are addicted to their cellular devices.

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

That will come as surprise that is little but the positioning of various 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 primary 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 instance the range commercial and tribal casinos per capita, and percentage of adults with gambling disorders and parallel number that is available of counselors.

Nevada topped record of all gambling-addicted states with a score that is total of. It rated very first in gambling friendliness, and 10th in gambling treatment and problem.

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

One may suspect nj-new Jersey or Pennsylvania to come next, but that ‘honor’ goes to South Dakota, which scored 53.1. Rounding out the top five many 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 no. 9 in 2017, while West Virginia (#5 in 2017), dropped back once again to no. 6 this present year.

Detailing Down And Up

Pennsylvania — which creates 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 satellite that is new, along with impending on line gambling and day-to-day fantasy recreations, and slot machines inside truck stops and airport 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 12 months’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 New Jersey dropped two spots to #8. The Garden State ranks second in gambling treatment and problem, 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 sports betting be legalized for all 50 states. The Supreme Court is expected to soon hand straight down its viewpoint on the present federal ban that prohibits the experience in every but four states.

WalletHub asked five behavioral and psychology experts whether sports betting should be permitted at the federal level. All five said it should, using 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. 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 expected to pass sports gambling laws in the coming years should SCOTUS repeal the ban gamblingprofessors.com 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 was awarded permission by the Indiana Gaming Commission to go its operations onto dry land, hundreds of miles south the Louisiana Senate had been approving a bill that would additionally 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 hawaii’s casino industry therefore 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 may let the state’s 15 riverboat gambling enterprises to make the leap that is evolutionary provided all gambling activities are conducted within 1,200 feet 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 bill that is similar 2015, and not a moment too soon for the Horseshoe which has been turn off on at least 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 had been in February, at great expense to their state.

The Indiana regulator on Tuesday approved a $85 million facility that is land-based should that be ‘above-land-based center,’ because the Caesars-owned casino will be slightly elevated to negate the risk of flooding.

‘This task further demonstrates our continued enthusiasm for and commitment to the state,’ said Brad Siegel, senior vice president at 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?

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 limit that is current of square feet 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, allowing it to incorporate bigger slots aided by the cutting-edge technology that is latest, which will surely 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 providing us with income, thank Jesus,’ Martiny stated. ‘Everybody that is against it, sure doesn’t shy far from coming to Appropriations and asking for some of that money.