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

Dubai will quickly become home to hotel properties branded by MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, but area officials say do not have the idea that is wrong casinos and gambling are not visiting the spot.

Dubai is home to the world’s tallest building 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 present 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 need 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 ranked no. 2 and #5 when it comes to gross gaming revenue of the planet’s casino operators, are getting into the Middle East for the very 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 growth of the destination resort, and once completed in 2021, run its operations.

The beachfront that is 26-acre will feature the MGM Hotel, 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 are going to be responsible for hospitality and entertainment in the artificial land that measures roughly 80 acres.

Caesars CEO Mark Frissora said the venture into Dubai is part 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 most populated city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), during the last decade Dubai leaders have actually made an effort to become less reliant on oil. Expanding the tourism sector is a focal point, and billions of dollars have been spent, lots of which are monies tied to your house of Al Falasi, the Dubai royal family.

One of the city’s main draws are the islands that are artificial in the Persian Gulf.

Dubai is today the sixth most-visited town in the world, in accordance with the planet Economic Forum. Nearly 15 million individuals checked out in 2017, lots that’s behind only Hong Kong, Bangkok, London, Singapore, and also the world’s richest gambling hub, Macau.

Dubai is thought to be a city that is progressive and has now eased some restrictions on which’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, tools manufacturing, 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 welcoming 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 personal finance web site. It’s possibly the least study that is surprising since one which revealed that more than 50 percent of teenagers are dependent on their cellular devices.

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

That will come as surprise that is little nevertheless the placement of other states in the study results may be worthy of a few elevated eyebrows.

In its third year evaluating which US states will be the many dependent on taking chances with their funds the old-fashioned method, WalletHub says it studied 19 key metric indicators to ascertain where exorbitant gambling is most common.

The evaluation considered two primary areas, ‘gambling friendliness’ (a quotient that combined many different gaming factors for every single state) and ‘gambling problem and treatment.’ The weighted groups included factors such as for example the wide range of commercial and tribal gambling enterprises per capita, and portion of adults with gambling disorders and parallel number that is available of counselors.

Nevada topped the list on most gambling-addicted states with a score that is total of. It ranked first in gambling friendliness, and 10th in gambling treatment and problem.

Nevada has the most gambling enterprises and gaming devices per capita, and rate that is fifth-highest of addiction.

One might 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 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 # 9 in 2017, while West Virginia (#5 in 2017), dropped back once again to # 6 in 2010.

Listing Up and Down

Pennsylvania — which yields the second-most gross gaming casino revenue behind only Nevada — put #27 on final years WalletHub list. But using 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 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 problem and therapy, with nearly three per cent of most adults recognized as have a gambling disorder.

Implications of Legal Sports Betting

A lot of the US will dsicover their ‘gambling friendliness’ score increase, should sports betting be legalized for several 50 states. The Supreme Court is expected to soon hand straight down its opinion on the current federal ban that prohibits the activity 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 will, utilizing the basic opinion that eliminating unregulated illegal offshore and underground sportsbooks is in the best interest of both consumers and the gaming industry.

‘ The major reason that states want gambling is money. Have you thought to 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 recreations 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 day that the Horseshoe Southern Indiana was provided permission 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 permitted to come onto dry land after 25 years into the drink. He would like 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 permit the state’s 15 riverboat gambling enterprises to really make the evolutionary jump, 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 similar bill in 2015, and not just a minute too quickly for the Horseshoe which includes 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 closure that is recent in February, at great cost to the state.

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

‘This task 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 look 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 expansion that is gambling since it proposes reworking the cap on casino floor space. The limit that is current of square foot 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 the state’s creaking casino sector, allowing it to incorporate bigger slots aided http://1xbets-giris.top/ 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 fellow senators who thought otherwise.

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