Dubai Tourism Chief Says 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 don’t get the wrong concept: casinos and gambling aren’t arriving at the location.
Dubai is home to the world’s building that is tallest and some of the most fascinating artificial islands, but casinos won’t 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 clearly was an evergrowing appetite to welcome gambling enterprises to the city.
‘No, there is not a desire for casinos,’ Kazim declared. ‘ We have to bear in head that there are cultural items that are a concern to us.’
Non-Gaming Horizons
MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, respectively ranked number 2 and #5 with regards to gross gaming revenue of the planet’s casino operators, are getting into the Middle East for the time that is first way of Dubai.
In March 2017, MGM reached a running contract with Dubai-based Wasl Hospitality and Leisure to advise on the development of the destination 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 in the day this month, Caesars Entertainment announced a partnership with Meraas, additionally a Dubai development firm, to handle and operate part of the $1.6 billion man-made Bluewaters Island. Caesars is going to be responsible for hospitality and entertainment in the land that is artificial measures roughly 80 acres.
Caesars CEO Mark Frissora stated the venture into Dubai is section of its post-bankruptcy consider expanding to international areas 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 biggest and many populated town in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), during the last decade Dubai leaders have actually made an attempt to become less reliant on oil. Expanding the tourism sector has been a center point, and billions of dollars have been spent, lots of which 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 artificial islands built within the Persian Gulf.
Dubai is today the sixth city that is most-visited the planet, according to the World Economic Forum. Nearly 15 million people visited in 2017, lots that’s behind only Hong Kong, Bangkok, London, Singapore, and the world’s gambling hub that is richest, Macau.
Dubai is considered 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 take liquor in licensed venues typically found in city resorts.
But gambling — usually 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 in the future, if ever.
However, city officials in Dubai have an ambitious goal of inviting 20 million tourists a year by 2020, which would make it the third most-visited locale in the world.
Shocker, Not: Nevada Most Gambling-Addicted State, Learn 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 surprising study outcomes since the one that revealed that more than 50 percent of teens are hooked on their mobile devices.
Nevada holds the record for the many addicted gamblers, a new study shows. With no one is surprised. (Image: File/Getty)
Which should come as surprise that is little however the positioning of some other states within the study results might 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 evaluation considered two areas that are main ‘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 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 the list of most gambling-addicted states with a total rating of 62.43. It ranked first in gambling friendliness, and 10th in gambling issue and treatment.
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 to come 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 newest entry, up from number 9 in 2017, while West Virginia (#5 in 2017), dropped back in to number 6 this season.
Detailing Down And Up
Pennsylvania — which produces the second-most gross gaming casino revenue behind only Nevada — placed #27 on final years WalletHub list. But using the Keystone State in the process of further expanding its commercial industry with as much as 10 new satellite casinos, along with impending on line gambling and daily dream activities, and slot machines 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 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 nj-new jersey fell two spots to #8. The Garden State ranks 2nd in gambling treatment and problem, with nearly three percent of all adults recognized as have a gambling disorder.
Implications of Legal Sports Betting
Much of the US will see their ‘gambling friendliness’ score increase, should sports 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 experience in every but four states.
WalletHub asked five behavioral and psychology experts whether sports betting should be permitted at the level that is federal. All five said it will, with the general opinion that eliminating unregulated illegal offshore and underground sportsbooks is within the most useful interest of both consumers and the gaming industry.
‘ The major reason that states want gambling is money. Why not make sports wagering legal? Gamblers will gamble anyway,’ Indiana University Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Professor Emeritus Jim Sherman noted.
as 20 states would be likely to pass activities betting 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 awarded permission by the Indiana Gaming Commission to go its operations onto dry land, hundreds of kilometers south the Louisiana Senate was approving a bill that would also propel its own riverboat casinos onto terra firma.
State Senator Ronnie Johns believes Louisiana riverboat casinos should be permitted to come onto dry land after 25 years into the drink. He really wants to modernize their state’s casino industry so it can compete along with its neighbors. (Image: Sarah Camard/Gambit Weekly)
The Louisiana Senate voted 22-14 to pass through State Senator Ronnie Johns’ (R-Lake Charles) SB316, which may permit the state’s 15 riverboat casinos to make the evolutionary leap, 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 functional paddle wheel.
Horseshoe Gets Lucky
Indiana passed a bill that is similar 2015, and not just a moment too quickly for the Horseshoe that has 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. Probably the most present closure was 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 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 appear 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 replaced by a cap on gambling positions or the amount of seats in front side of http://1xbets-giris.top/ slots at 2,365.
Johns stated his bill would modernize their state’s creaking casino sector, enabling it to incorporate bigger slots utilizing 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 senators that are fellow thought otherwise.
We’ve 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 cash.