Will The Island in Dubai Get a Casino? What MGM Has Actually Said

Last updated: 24 July 2026

The Island by Wasl — three hotel towers carrying the MGM Grand, Bellagio and Aria names on a man-made island off Jumeirah Beach — is the project most often cited when people ask whether Dubai will get a casino. The honest answer as of July 2026: it is being built as a non-gaming resort, it will open without a casino, and MGM itself says the decision on gaming sits with the ruler of Dubai. What follows separates what MGM has confirmed from what has merely been reported.

Key takeaways

• The Island by Wasl combines three MGM-managed hotels — MGM Grand, Bellagio and Aria — with roughly 1,400 rooms, at a reported cost of about US$2.5 billion. Wasl, a government-owned Dubai developer, owns the project; MGM runs it under a non-gaming management agreement.
• Opening is scheduled for the third quarter of 2028, revised from an earlier target of Q3 2027.
• MGM chief executive Bill Hornbuckle called the resort "a platform for a casino someday" in March 2026 — but said in September 2025 that MGM does not yet have permission from Dubai's ruler to add gaming.
• Space has reportedly been reserved for a casino floor, but the published figures range from 150,000 to 250,000 square feet and trace back to single sources.
• MGM's only UAE casino licence application is for Abu Dhabi, filed with the federal regulator in September 2024 and still undecided more than 20 months later.
• Wynn Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah remains the only land-based casino licensee in the country.

What is The Island by Wasl?

The Island is a 25-acre artificial island off Umm Suqueim, just past the Burj Al Arab, developed by Wasl Hospitality and Leisure — part of the Dubai government-owned Wasl group — and managed by MGM Resorts International under an agreement that explicitly excludes gaming. Three of MGM's best-known brands share one podium: MGM Grand aimed at entertainment and conventions, Bellagio at the ultra-luxury end and Aria as the modern lifestyle tower, with around 1,400 rooms and a 110-metre entertainment tower. Reported project cost is about US$2.5 billion.

Construction began in 2024 after a restart in late 2023. The timeline has slipped once: in early 2025 Hornbuckle told investors the building was due to complete in Q3 2027, but by the July 2025 earnings call the target had become the second half of 2028. MGM's fourth-quarter 2025 earnings, reported in February 2026, pinned it to Q3 2028, reaffirmed in coverage as recently as 1 July 2026.

So will it have a casino? What MGM has actually said

Two on-the-record statements from Hornbuckle bracket the current position.

In early September 2025, speaking as the resort's construction advanced, he said: "We don't have permission yet from the ruler of Dubai to go forward. I don't know when we'll hear, but I do believe this... If this gets a casino, and I believe it will over time, we think it's a massive opportunity." In the same remarks, reported by AGBI, SiGMA and Casino.org on 9–10 September 2025, he admitted surprise that the UAE had not yet awarded a second casino licence.

Then, at the JP Morgan Forum: Strategic Growth and Innovation on 12–13 March 2026, he described the Dubai project as "a platform for a casino someday. Time will tell. The ruler there will have the jurisdiction of if and when" — the quote Asia Gaming Brief used as its headline.

One clarification matters here. The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) is the UAE's only gaming licensing authority; there is no separate Dubai regulator. Hornbuckle's point is political rather than bureaucratic: whatever the federal regulator decides, a casino on Dubai soil also needs the ruler of Dubai's go-ahead. MGM's leadership has been courting that approval directly — Hornbuckle, MGM chairman Paul Salem and IAC's Barry Diller met Dubai's deputy ruler Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed in spring 2025 to, in Hornbuckle's words, "update him on our project".

The reserved gaming space: reported, not confirmed

Multiple outlets report that the resort's podium was purpose-built so a casino could be fitted in later if approval comes. The figures do not agree. Yogonet, republished by The Gaming Boardroom in September 2025, put the reserved podium space at 250,000 square feet; a December 2025 licensing status report by Ask Dubai Property said 150,000 square feet. MGM has never published a number itself, and neither figure has been confirmed by Wasl. Treat the space as real but its size as a single-source range of 150,000–250,000 square feet.

MGM's UAE licence applications: where things stand

This is the part most coverage gets wrong, so it is worth laying out plainly.

• Abu Dhabi — application filed, decision pending. MGM submitted a casino licence application to the GCGRA in September 2024, reported to target Yas Island. As of July 2026 — more than 20 months later — no decision has been announced. Hornbuckle's frustration showed in September 2025: "I thought by now, Abu Dhabi would have ruled on what they were doing."
• Dubai — no application. MGM has not applied for a casino licence for The Island; What's On Dubai reported on 1 July 2026 that the company has only ever bid for a licence in Abu Dhabi. The resort's management contract is explicitly non-gaming.
• The wider register. As of the GCGRA's April 2026 register, Wynn Resorts remains the only land-based casino licensee in the UAE, for Wynn Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah — a position we track in our UAE gaming licence tracker. Claims circulating in search results that the GCGRA has already awarded MGM a second licence for Yas Bay are not corroborated by any official announcement or register entry.

For a Dubai casino to happen, three things would need to occur in sequence: the GCGRA would need to be willing to license a second land-based casino, the ruler of Dubai would need to approve gaming at The Island, and MGM would then need to apply and be approved. None of the three has happened.

What is still unconfirmed

Three gaps are worth flagging: the exact size of the reserved gaming space, as noted above; whether MGM's Abu Dhabi application names a specific Yas Island site, widely reported but never officially detailed; and any timeline for decisions, which neither the GCGRA nor the Dubai government has given. MGM's contract structure means it can wait — Wasl carries the construction risk while MGM holds the brand and management position if gaming is ever approved.

FAQ

Is there a casino at The Island in Dubai? No. The resort is being built and will open as a non-gaming property. Space has reportedly been reserved for a casino, but no gaming is approved.

When does The Island by Wasl open? The third quarter of 2028, per MGM's Q4 2025 earnings and reporting of 1 July 2026. The opening was originally targeted for Q3 2027.

Who owns The Island in Dubai? Wasl Hospitality and Leisure, a Dubai government-owned developer. MGM Resorts International manages the MGM Grand, Bellagio and Aria hotels under a non-gaming agreement.

Has MGM applied for a Dubai casino licence? No. MGM's only UAE application is for Abu Dhabi, filed with the GCGRA in September 2024 and still pending as of July 2026.

What exactly did MGM's CEO say about a Dubai casino? In September 2025: "We don't have permission yet from the ruler of Dubai to go forward." In March 2026: the resort is "a platform for a casino someday", with the ruler holding jurisdiction over "if and when".

Are there any licensed casinos in Dubai? No. The UAE's only land-based casino licensee is Wynn Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, due to open in 2027. Licensed online gaming exists through operators on the GCGRA register, but no casino operates in Dubai.

Further reading

• UAE gaming licence tracker 2026
• Wynn Al Marjan Island's UAE gaming licence
• Wynn Al Marjan: alone on the GCGRA land-based register, April 2026
• The UAE gaming licensing process explained
• What is legal in UAE gaming right now
• Can tourists gamble in the UAE?

Sources

• Asia Gaming Brief, "MGM Resorts: non-gaming investment in Dubai a 'platform for a casino someday'" (13 March 2026): https://agbrief.com/news/uae/13/03/2026/mgm-resorts-non-gaming-investment-in-dubai-a-platform-for-a-casino-someday/
• Investing.com, "MGM at JP Morgan Forum: Strategic Growth and Innovation" transcript (12 March 2026): https://www.investing.com/news/transcripts/mgm-at-jp-morgan-forum-strategic-growth-and-innovation-93CH-4557992
• Arabian Gulf Business Insight, "MGM boss 'surprised' at delay in casino licence for Dubai resort" (9 September 2025): https://www.agbi.com/leisure-hospitality/2025/09/mgm-boss-surprised-at-delay-in-casino-licence-for-dubai-resort/
• Casino.org, "MGM CEO Surprised Company Hasn't Won UAE Casino License" (10 September 2025): https://www.casino.org/news/mgm-ceo-surprised-company-hasnt-won-uae-casino-license/
• SiGMA, "Dubai holds back on MGM casino licence approval" (9 September 2025): https://sigma.world/news/dubai-mgm-casino-licence-delay/
• SiGMA, "MGM Resorts delays Dubai opening to late 2028" (1 August 2025): https://sigma.world/news/mgm-resorts-delays-dubai-opening-late-2028/
• Khaleej Times via Hotel-Online, "Dubai MGM Tower Opening Pushed to Second Half of 2028, CEO Hornbuckle Says" (31 July 2025): https://www.hotel-online.com/news/dubai-mgm-tower-opening-pushed-to-second-half-of-2028-ceo-hornbuckle-says
• What's On Dubai, "Everything we know so far about The Island megaproject" (8 September 2025): https://whatson.ae/2025/09/everything-we-know-so-far-about-the-island-megaproject-home-to-mgm-aria-and-bellagio-hotels/
• Hotelier Middle East, "MGM Dubai megaproject now set for Q3 2028 opening" (1 July 2026): https://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/news/mgm-dubai-megaproject-now-set-for-q3-2028-opening
• iGaming Business, "'It's completely in their hands': Is MGM back to eyeing up Dubai for UAE resort?" (4 May 2025): https://igamingbusiness.com/casino/property-development/mgm-resorts-international-touts-uae-opportunity/
• The Gaming Boardroom / Yogonet, "MGM CEO says Dubai casino approval still pending as 2028 resort construction advances" (11 September 2025): https://thegamingboardroom.com/2025/09/11/mgm-ceo-says-dubai-casino-approval-still-pending-as-2028-resort-construction-advances-yogonet-international/
• Ask Dubai Property, "UAE Gaming Licenses 2025, Complete Industry Status Report" (3 December 2025): https://askdubaiproperty.com/uae-gaming-licenses-2025-status-report/
• AffPapa, "MGM Dubai resort awaits casino approval" (11 September 2025): https://affpapa.com/dubai-delays-mgm-casino-approval-despite-resort-progress/
• GCGRA, official site: https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/