The UAE Casino Market is Evolving: Wynn Resorts anticipates Rivals and Strong Online Competition

While Wynn Resorts prepares for serious competition in the United Arab Emirates, the casino and gambling industry is witnessing growing interest in digital offerings, which is slowly putting pressure on physical casinos. Despite diversifying demand for physical and online offerings, one thing is clear: the industry is growing and continues to show signs of strong future revenues going forward.

The Wynn Al Marjan, as a joint venture project, is set to become the first approved and licensed integrated casino resort in Ras Al Khaimah and promises great success with a projected market value of $3.9 billion when it opens in early 2027. Despite this promising forecast, gaming habits are visibly changing: mobile apps, localized user interfaces, and simplified payment methods are lowering the barriers to entry for many users. Gambling expert Viola D'Elia from Esports Insider points out that the variety of online casinos in United Arab Emirates makes them an easily accessible alternative to physical resorts for many users, offering Arabic language settings and VPN-friendly access.

Wynn CEO Craig Billings openly addressed competition forecasts in his latest analyst conference call after the release of the third quarter results for 2025. In an interview with Asia Gaming Brief, he outlined a market size of three to five billion US dollars in gross gaming revenue (GGR), with the company anticipating a “fair share premium.” “We were factoring in two incremental competitors and a market that is $3 billion to $5 billion of GGR (gross gaming revenue). We always tend to operate at a fair share premium.” Furthermore, Billings believes that, given that he is not aware of any additional new competitors entering the United Arab Emirates market, these estimates are likely to be conservative.

Based on these market movements, industry experts believe that integrated resorts combined with a regulated online sector could generate billions in annual gross gaming revenue. Investment bank Morgan Stanley already predicted in 2024 that casinos in the United Arab Emirates together have the potential for significant annual gross gaming revenue. The reasons for this, according to Morgan Stanley, include the fact that the UAE has heavily frequented airports. Additionally, there is a strong willingness to spend among the high number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals, as well as a high appeal to tourists with more than 5-star hotels than there are in Singapore. According to the Government of Dubai, nearly 18.72 million overnight visitors were recorded in Dubai alone in 2024, which is an indicator of the potential for significant tourism flows for leisure and gaming offerings.

In 2024, Wynn Resorts received the first commercial gaming license for land-based casinos from the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA). Now, GCGRA Chairman Jim Murren expects that up to four additional integrated resorts will be built in the UAE in the coming years. Parallel to physical offerings, however, the global online gambling market continues to grow strongly, and market analyses forecast robust growth in the coming years. According to Grand View Research, the global industry was estimated at USD 78,662.1 million in 2024 and is expected to grow significantly at a CAGR of 11.9% through 2030. This rapid growth is being driven by increasing mobile usage and the proliferation of new digital products and low-threshold access options.

In light of these developments, it is safe to assume that there will be further regulatory changes in the future. The GCGRA licenses many commercial gaming activities across the UAE, such as land-based casinos, national lotteries, online gaming platforms, poker, and slot machines. However, when it comes to online gambling activities, the regulatory framework conditions for licensing are often still rather vague. With both locals and tourists becoming increasingly receptive to gambling, it is clear that a comprehensive regulatory framework is required to protect both users and operators.