The United Arab Emirates, like Saudi Arabia’s NEOM, is trying in every possible way to free its economy from dependence on oil and natural gas reserves.

Attracting the tourism sector is becoming one of the goals, and the United Arab Emirates does not miss the opportunity to open new business opportunities. The latest: Build a Las Vegas-style mega-casino on one of the artificial islands built to gain ground from the sea. The problem is that gambling in Dubai is prohibited by sharia (Islamic law), but this seems to be just a formality.

4,000 million for a casino like the one in Las Vegas. A year ago, Las Vegas casino operator Wynn Resorts proposed to the United Arab Emirates government to invest $4 billion in the construction of a five-star tourist complex with shops and luxury villas worth more than $7 million each. hotels and of course a large casino.

The project was accepted and construction cranes in the region are now operating at full capacity. “Wynn casino and resort has been a game-changing experience for Marjan. Everyone expects that tourism in the region will grow rapidly with the casino. “You’re basically bringing a mini Las Vegas to Ras Al Khaimah,” he said. Bloomberg Khalid Bin Kalban, CEO of Dubai Investments PJSC, is one of the funds building a hotel and residential complex there.

Some deserted islands now worth gold. The tourism project will be developed in the Marjan Islands, located north of Dubai, off the coast of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. These 2.7 square kilometer artificial islands remained completely abandoned for ten years.

The last project planned to keep them busy involved the world of football and an academy sponsored by Real Madrid. Finally, the project took shape as an amusement park on one of the palm-shaped islands built off the coast of Dubai.

With the arrival of the new project, the rapid increase in square meter prices of the islands encourages new tourist projects in the surrounding area. The square meter of land on the island costs approximately 800 euros per square meter. A little more than two years ago its price was only 300 euros.

It has a small drawback: shaíra. The United Arab Emirates is a federal monarchy consisting of seven emirates that came together in 1972. Its official religion is Islam, a cult believed in by 76% of its population, although it allows the practice of other cults such as Christianity (12.6). %) or Hinduism (6.6%).

The country’s religious status means that gambling and betting are prohibited throughout the country. Violators may be fined, imprisoned for up to two years, or both. This conflicts with the idea of ​​building a casino in a country where gambling is banned and players could go to jail.

Mighty knight Don Dinero. Currently, due to this Islamic law, there are no casinos in the six countries that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council; but there are those in Lebanon and Egypt who have adapted their laws to create a legal framework that protects gambling in the region. .

According to this Switzerland informationConsidering the development of the project, the United Arab Emirates has created the General Regulatory Authority for Commercial Gambling, a body that will be responsible for providing a legal framework for legalized gambling, although no legislation has been approved or any projects undertaken so far. This points to possible legalization.

Benidorm style urban development. The emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven emirates that make up the country, is one of the least developed in terms of infrastructure. It is basically a vast plain of red sand dunes and little vegetation. The nearest skyscraper is 70 km away. There is currently a tourism boom in the Emirate. Since the outbreak of the Ukrainian war, the region has been filled with Russian citizens fleeing the conflict.

The emirate received 1.2 million visitors last year but has only 8,000 hotel beds. “Marjan is different from the daily hustle and bustle of being in central Dubai or Abu Dhabi. “This is an escape” he said Bloomberg Al Abdouli is the CEO of Marjan Islands. Ras Al Khaimah is currently planning the construction of 12 hotels and seven are currently under construction. The developer of the world’s tallest tower is already building luxury apartments and townhomes in the area.

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Picture | Google Earth, Unsplash (Adrian Trinkaus)