Wynn Sees UAE Casino Stoking Tourism Boom, Demand Outpacing Supply
Posted on: December 4, 2025, 10:31h.
Last updated on: December 4, 2025, 10:38h.
- Wynn says $3.4 billion of the UAE casino hotel’s $5.1 billion budget is spent or bought out
- Company sees resort stoking tourism surge with demand outpacing room supply
- Operator estimates Wynn Al Marjan Island will open in Q1 2027
Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN) conducted an analyst tour of Wynn Al Marjan Island, its United Arab Emirates (UAE) casino hotel, on Thursday while providing investors with an update on the project, noting that $3.4 billion of the project’s $5.1 billion projected total cost has been bought out or spent.
Wynn is self-funding its 40% share of the project. In an investor deck, the Las Vegas-based gaming company said all of the UAE integrated resort’s structural concrete is complete and that 100% of structuring for guestrooms is finalized, putting the property on pace to open in the first quarter of 2027. The hotel tower is expected to be topped out in the current quarter. It will be one of the largest leisure properties in the UAE.
Just as the Burj Al Arab is one of Dubai’s most recognizable hotels, Wynn Al Marjan Island’s spire will be an architectural landmark in Ras Al Khaimah anchoring an international destination for those seeking premium luxury experiences, including the offerings of the only casino in the UAE,” said Wynn CEO Craig Billings in the investor deck.
Wynn Al Marjan Island will be the first regulated gaming venue in the history of the Arab world, and it’s widely expected that the property will hold a multiyear monopoly as UAE gaming regulators aren’t in a hurry to approve another casino license.
Wynn UAE Casino Has Favorable Geography
Wynn Al Marjan Island is located about 50 minutes from Dubai, and the operator noted that transportation infrastructure in the UAE is “improving rapidly,” implying that drive time could eventually be reduced.
For skeptics claiming the Wynn venue is too far from Dubai, which is the tourist hub of the UAE, the gaming company points out that some of the largest US regional casinos are located an average of 52 minutes to 88 minutes away from their primary feeder market.
Of the largest US regional casinos as measured by gross gaming revenue (GGR), just two — Wynn’s Encore Boston Harbor and MGM Grand Detroit — are located 30 minutes or less from their primary feeder market. Just three others are reachable in half an hour, depending on traffic conditions.
The UAE venue is located within an eight-hour flight from 75% of the world’s population and can draw support from a local population of approximately 10 million.
Wynn UAE Casino at Right Place at Right Time
Wynn Al Marjan is poised to contribute to — and capitalize on — an expected tourism boom in Ras Al Khaimah in the coming years. Visitors to the emirate are projected to grow at a 26.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from the end of 2024 through 2030, while overnight guests are estimated to increase at a 13.4% CAGR over that span, according to the Wynn presentation.
That sets up a scenario in which demand is likely to outpace the supply of available rooms. Wynn notes that in 2027, the year in which the casino resort opens, the key deficit in Ras Al Khaimah could exceed 8,400. Other hoteliers are aware of the expected tourism surge, as highlighted by the fact that at least four major hotel projects have been announced in the emirate since Wynn unveiled its plans in 2022.
Wynn Al Marjan is also juicing local property prices. In 2021, the year before the project was announced, the average property sale in Ras Al Khaimah occurred at $73 per square foot. That figure jumped to $86 the following year, and is expected to reach $207 per square foot this year.
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