The Island by Wasl (MGM casino Dubai)
Views: 68,625 Subscribe

https://letdesignlighting.com/portfolio/hospitality/the-island-development-dubai-uae/

https://www.klingconsult.com/project/porto-island/

Source: https://maps.app.goo.gl/iGiL3EGC6VXEtjoY6 and https://maps.app.goo.gl/fbuL6qpg7TGyYPeB7

Source: https://maps.app.goo.gl/8MaaXVfNNrJJHVut7

MGM casino license status still unclear

https://www.agbi.com/leisure-hospitality/2025/09/mgm-boss-surprised-at-delay-in-casino-licence-for-dubai-resort/

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Jpi4Chzg1z8GyX5B9

The CEO of MGM Resorts International has expressed surprise that the UAE has yet to decide whether to grant a casino licence for its Dubai resort, but says he remains confident about the $2.5 billion beachfront project.

The development is under construction on a 25-acre manmade island near Jumeirah Beach and the Burj Al Arab. It is expected to open in 2028.

“I thought by now, Abu Dhabi would have ruled on what they were doing,” CEO Bill Hornbuckle told a gaming industry conference last week.

“There’s a lot of dialogue around that.” The Dubai resort’s design includes a podium structure to house a casino if permission is granted, as well as MGM Grand, Bellagio and Aria hotels.

Although the UAE has established a federal General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, individual emirates retain the power to authorise gaming within their borders.

Craig Billings, CEO of MGM’s Las Vegas rival Wynn, said last month that he expects the Wynn Al Marjan Island resort to be the first and only casino in the UAE when it opens in Ras Al Khaimah in 2027.

This would give Wynn a monopoly in a market that the casino operator believes could generate revenues of up to $5 billion a year. Analysts put the figure even higher at $8 billion.

However, sources with knowledge of the matter have told AGBI it is “unlikely” that Wynn will remain the only operator in the UAE.

Hornbuckle said MGM and its joint venture partner, government-owned developer Wasl, were “waiting for the ruler [of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed] to say, ‘Go ahead’”.

He added that a 250,000-sq-ft podium had been built on the site that could become a casino.

“We don’t have permission yet from the ruler of Dubai to go forward. I don’t know when we’ll hear, but I do believe this … If this gets a casino, and I believe it will over time, we think it’s a massive opportunity.”AGBI has contacted the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority for comment.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/rfk-jr-said-kids-receive-up-to-92-vaccine-doses-how-many-do-they-really-get/ar-AA1MhNSg?apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1

https://maps.app.goo.gl/irSg2GMZbp8dB8HC8

https://maps.app.goo.gl/6gEGa64UeCWw9LWC9

MGM pushes back opening of Dubai resort to 2028

Chief executive Bill Hornbuckle said in April that the resort would open in the third quarter of 2027.

On Wednesday’s earnings call, he said “progress in Dubai has started to gather steam”, with the opening now scheduled for 2028.

He did not give a reason for the delay.

A company earnings presentation specified the launch is planned for the second half of the year.

While no license has been granted, MGM cited “expectations regarding the potential opportunity for gaming expansion in Dubai” in its quarterly filing – a sign the company is still factoring the possibility into its long-term plans.

Source: https://www.agbi.com/tourism/2025/07/mgm-pushes-back-opening-of-dubai-resort-to-2028/?utm_campaign=awa&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin