The United Arab Emirates recently created a federal authority to monitor “commercial gaming,” which is nothing but a national lottery. This is a great sign for casinos, as the UAE is about to become one of the biggest destinations for gambling.
WAM news (the State-controlled news agency) announced late Sunday that the government is about to establish the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority. However, there were not many details about the operations and structure of the body.
Kevin Mullally, the newly appointed CEO of the GCGRA, stated,
“I am delighted to have been appointed as the inaugural CEO of the GCGRA […] With my experienced colleagues, I look forward to establishing a robust regulatory body and framework for the UAE’s lottery and gaming industry.”
Mullally was the former executive director of the Missouri Gaming Commission, which is the body that monitored the US State’s riverboat casinos. However, he did not return the Associated Press’ request for comment. Jim Murren, the former chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International, became the chairman of the GCGRA’s Board of Directors.
As per the news from WAM, the goal of GCGRA is to
“create a socially responsible and well-regulated gaming environment, ensuring that all participants adhere to strict guidelines and comply with the highest standards.”
It will also help in coordinating regulatory activities and managing licensing at the national level and will try to unlock the economic potential of commercial gaming.
Despite those developments, the course is a bit slow. This is because Casinos are rare across the Middle East due to the strong presence of Islam. Despite that, there are some casinos that operate in Lebanon and Egypt. UAE is trying to add casinos since it wants to boost its already profitable tourism industry.
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