MGM Eyes Dubai for Potential Casino as Strategy Shifts in UAE

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – MGM Resorts may be repositioning its focus toward Dubai as a potential site for its first integrated resort with gaming in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), following high-level meetings with Dubai’s leadership and remarks by company executives during a quarterly earnings call.

Until recently, the Las Vegas-based hospitality giant appeared to prioritize Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s capital, for its possible gaming debut. MGM CEO Bill Hornbuckle had hinted last September that a proposal had been submitted to develop a facility there. However, comments made during MGM’s Q1 2025 earnings call, combined with a high-profile meeting between senior company executives and Dubai’s deputy ruler, suggest that the focus may be shifting toward the UAE’s most populous emirate.

The Developments

Hornbuckle, alongside MGM Chair Paul Salem and Barry Diller of IAC, MGM’s largest shareholder, recently met with Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum — deputy ruler of Dubai, as well as the emirate’s deputy prime minister and minister of finance. The meeting was intended to provide an update on MGM’s in-progress development on Jumeirah Beach and to discuss the broader economic and entertainment potential of legalized gaming in Dubai.

“The key mission was to see the prince and to update him on our project,” Hornbuckle said during the earnings call. “Not only in the context of a fully integrated resort… but the potential gaming could bring to not only UAE, but Dubai specifically.”

While MGM has been constructing a 2 million-square-foot beachfront resort — in partnership with Wasl Hospitality and Leisure — that includes over 1,400 hotel rooms under its MGM, Bellagio, and Aria brands, no gaming elements are currently part of the design. The facility is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2028.

Hornbuckle added that the company is designing the property to be “gaming-ready” should Dubai’s government permit it. “They haven’t said yes, they haven’t said no,” he said, noting that Dubai’s stance remains unclear.

The potential for gaming in the UAE has been in flux since the establishment of the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) in 2023. The federal body oversees gaming regulation, but the decision to allow casinos still rests with individual emirates — a framework comparable to the United States’ state-by-state approach.

So far, Ras Al Khaimah is the only emirate to publicly embrace gaming, with Wynn Resorts constructing the Wynn Al Marjan Island, slated to open in 2027. At the Skift Global Forum East last November, GCGRA Chair Jim Murren, also chairman of Resorts World Las Vegas, emphasized a cautious rollout of gaming beyond Ras Al Khaimah, suggesting other licenses would follow only in “five to 10 years.”

Despite that, infrastructure is quietly being laid across the country. Supplier licensing has accelerated, with International Game Technology (IGT) this week becoming the seventh vendor approved by the GCGRA, joining names like Novomatic and Aristocrat.

The GCGRA also took a significant regulatory step by signing a memorandum of understanding with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE), aimed at bolstering cybersecurity, responsible gaming, and regulatory collaboration.

They haven’t said yes, they haven’t said no. We are building an environment that can accommodate it.

“Commercial gaming is a cornerstone of our vision for diversified economic growth,” said GCGRA CEO Kevin Mullally, signaling that the UAE sees gaming as a long-term economic play. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy echoed this sentiment, calling the partnership “a driver of innovation and economic opportunity.”

With Wynn already in the lead and federal regulation progressing, MGM’s strategic pivot toward Dubai could be a calculated attempt to secure a foothold in the region’s most high-profile city, should it ultimately open its doors to gaming. MGM Resorts shares rose 2.54% to $31.62 in New York on Friday morning following the news and the company’s earnings announcement.