No. 01
Primary sources, always.
We read the GCGRA press releases, the public register, the regulator PDFs, and the operator filings ourselves. If a story doesn't have a source a reader can verify, we don't publish it.
ColophonFounded 2024 · Based in Dubai
The editorial record of UAE gaming.
Casino in Dubai is an independent publication covering commercial gaming, regulation, licensing, integrated resorts, and hospitality across the United Arab Emirates and the wider Gulf. We file for the people who actually build this industry — and for the people who need to understand it quickly.
Why we exist
The UAE is building the newest regulated commercial gaming market in the world. The coverage it has been getting — from global gaming press, Gulf business press, and speculative affiliate sites — often trails the story or misses the nuance entirely.
We’re here to close the gap. Read the GCGRA’s filings the day they appear, verify what’s actually licensed versus merely rumoured, and write it up in a way that respects our readers’ time.
The House Rules
Four principles the desk has committed to.
No. 02
Advertising sits in plain sight.
Sponsored stories are labelled sponsored. Advertisers do not see our reporting before it runs. Commercial arrangements do not buy favourable coverage — ever.
No. 03
We update, not rewrite.
When a fact changes, we note it at the top of the article with a dated correction. We don't quietly edit history or remove pieces once they've been published.
No. 04
We're useful, not comprehensive.
There is plenty of noise about UAE gaming. We publish fewer pieces that actually move the conversation, rather than many that summarise it.
The Beats
Five beats the desk is continuously working.
Licensing
GCGRA filings, licence grants, public register changes, and what regulatory shifts mean on the ground.
Operators
Wynn Al Marjan and every operator, platform, or supplier that follows it — buildout progress, capital structure, management, licensing posture.
Online Gaming
Sports wagering, iGaming, geolocation, KYC, payments, and platform approvals — who's licensed, who's pending, what's technically different.
Lottery
The Game LLC, Big Ticket, Dubai Duty Free, and the lottery layer of the UAE gaming regime as it interacts with the wider framework.
Compliance
Technical standards, AML and financial crime controls, responsible gaming, and the compliance obligations that shape the market behind the headlines.
How to follow
Read us on Sunday morning, before the week opens.
The Dispatch is a weekly memo from the desk — regulatory shifts, licensing wins, resort buildouts, and the people moving the market. One email. No filler.