UAE casino plans drive "new gold rush"

UAE’s new gold rush

Bloomberg this week brought us an update on the growing impact of Wynn Resorts’ plan to build a new integrated resort in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Barely a year after the operator announced its plan to build a $4bn resort in Ras Al Khaimah, “the area is crawling with construction workers erecting five-star resorts, shops and $7m villas in what developers expect will become a major tourist hotspot,” the article reports.

Before Wynn made its big announcement, the piece explains, the artificial Marjan islands in Ras Al Khaimah “had spent most of the past decade as a lost opportunity,” after previous plans for a billion-dollar football-themed resort and Real Madrid academy were scrapped.

Since announcing its plans, however, “every lot is sold and cranes are rising faster than the morning desert heat,” with signs advertising soon-to-be built homes and myriad other projects taken on by at least 20 developers in the region.

With an expected influx of new visitors to Ras Al Khaimah, the emirate’s small international airport is also planning to build a new terminal, boosting its capacity to 2 million passengers per year by 2027.

CEO of Dubai Investments PJSC, Khalid Bin Kalban, described the plans as a “game changer” for the Marjan islands, suggesting Wynn is in the process of “essentially bringing a mini-Vegas to Ras Al Khaimah.”

Of course, the introduction of casino gambling to the region would also mark a step change for the UAE, where gambling is currently prohibited.

And, with the expected increase in interest in Ras Al Khaimah and the Marjan islands, “prices have exploded,” Bloomberg reports, with prices per square foot surging from around 300 dirhams to 800 dirhams over just a short period of time.

The article also suggests that: “In the race to develop tourism destinations, Ras Al Khaimah has an advantage over Saudi Arabia.

“Alcohol is legal, and scores of Russian and Chinese tourists already visit the emirate, despite the limited number of hotels. The casino will help attract the gamblers but will also lure families looking for a slice of Vegas in the desert – without the trans-Atlantic flight.”

With so much going for it, it seems the traditional casino gambling hub of Las Vegas might just have a new rival to contend with very soon.

Palace nets new sponsor

Elsewhere, the Premier League’s Crystal Palace FC courted some criticism this week, as the New York Times reported on its controversial new gambling sponsorship.

The side has signed a “record” two-year front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with Vietnamese online gambling firm Net88, whose logo will appear on the team’s kit for the 2024-25 season.

According to the article, however, Net88 “had only a minimal online presence until this week”, and “is an example of a white-label gambling firm which is operated by someone other than the brand owner – in this case, London-registered Risq Capital, which is regulated by the UK Gambling Authority.”

Despite its sponsorship of a UK football team, Net88’s website is not currently available to players in the country.

Instead, the site carries a message saying: “We are working on building a brand new betting experience. Our full website will be live soon. Net88 promotes responsible, legal gambling.”

Perhaps, though, it’s not British punters the brand is targeting.

“By being shown on Palace’s shirts, the company will be advertising to consumers watching on TV around the world, including in countries such as China and Vietnam where gambling is largely illegal,” the article’s author points out.

The deal also represents the ‘last gasp’ of gambling-industry shirt sponsorships, as it will run until the summer of 2026 at which point gambling logos will be banned from the front of Premier League club shirts altogether.

Similarly, Wolverhampton Wanderers announced a front-of-shirt partnership with Asian gambling company DEBET this week.

According to Clean Up Gambling director Matt Zarb-Cousin, white-label arrangements in the UK allow internationally-targeted brands “to advertise in the Premier League with a view to appealing to Asian markets where online gambling and gambling advertising is illegal.”

“The Premier League has committed to banning front of shirt sponsors from the 2025-26 season, but the next government could eliminate the vast majority of gambling advertising in football by banning white labels,” he added.

If the comments underneath this article are anything to go by, Palace fans might not be best pleased with this new arrangement.

Health and safety

Elsewhere, The Guardian’s Rob Davies brought us his report on GambleAware’s latest advice for the UK industry this week.

The country’s leading gambling charity has suggested that adverts for bookmakers and online casinos should carry “smoking-style” health warnings, as it warned of an upcoming marketing surge during the Euro 2024 football tournament.

The previous “Take Time to Think” slogan was deemed “inadequate” by the charity, which has since drawn up new suggested guidelines on how to advertise responsibly.

Also offering up its criticism of the old “When the fun stops, stop” slogan, GambleAware suggested clearer warnings such as “Gambling can be addictive” and “Gambling comes at a cost” should instead be implemented.

The article points to research showing more than half of people experiencing problems with gambling said seeing ads makes it hard for them to cut down, while 55% said they felt “unable to escape adverts about gambling.”

In response, the Betting and Gaming Council, which spearheads the “Take Time to Think” campaign, said it was originally launched after “extensive customer research, as well as engagement with academics, government, operators and stakeholders including GambleAware on the most effective way of encouraging responsible betting.

“The white paper committed to review customer messaging, including those provided by industry, and we look forward to engaging on that work with whoever forms the next government,” the trade association concluded.

With a new government just around the corner in the UK, it seems it could soon be time for a shake-up of gambling advertising.

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