LicensingJuly 24, 2026

One Casino Per Emirate? How the UAE's Reported Licensing Model Works

The UAE's reported one-licence-per-emirate model, explained: what is confirmed by the GCGRA, what is only reported, and what each emirate has today.

Casino in Dubai Editorial TeamJul 24, 20268 min read

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One Casino Per Emirate? How the UAE's Reported Licensing Model Works

Last updated: 24 July 2026

Trade press reported in late October 2025 that the UAE intends to allow one online gaming licence and one land-based casino licence per emirate, with each emirate choosing whether to participate at all. Nine months on, the regulator has never confirmed it. Yet the pattern of licences actually issued — one casino resort in Ras Al Khaimah, one online operator, nothing in Dubai — matches closely enough that the industry treats it as the working assumption. Here is what is reported, what is confirmed, and what each emirate has today.

Key takeaways

In late October 2025, Asia Gaming Brief and other trade outlets reported a "one B2C online licence per emirate" framework, said to mirror the land-based model. It has never been officially confirmed.
Bird & Bird, reviewing the market in January 2026, stressed there has been "no official GCGRA communication" on the point, while noting the observed licensing pattern fits the model.
All gaming licences are issued federally by the GCGRA. There are no emirate-level gaming regulators; what varies is whether each emirate hosts licensed gaming at all.
Confirmed today: Wynn Al Marjan Island is the only land-based casino licensee (Ras Al Khaimah), and Coin Technology Projects LLC, behind Play971, is the only online licensee.
Play971 is live in Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah; Dubai is geoblocked and has no licensed gaming of any kind.
MGM applied for an Abu Dhabi casino licence in September 2024 and is still waiting.

What was reported, and by whom

On 28 October 2025, Asia Gaming Brief reported that the UAE was moving towards a framework allowing one business-to-consumer online gaming licence per emirate, under the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA). Yogonet and SiGMA carried the story the same week, describing the model as a mirror of the land-based approach, with participation subject to each emirate's approval.

The important caveat came later, from lawyers rather than journalists. Reviewing the 2025 market on 19 January 2026, Bird & Bird noted that "various gambling publications have reported" the one-operator-per-emirate model for both land-based and online gaming, but that "to date, there has been no official GCGRA communication on this point." That remains the position in July 2026: the model is reported, widely believed, and unconfirmed.

What is actually confirmed

Strip away the reporting and the hard facts are few. The GCGRA, the federal regulator established in September 2023, is the sole licensing authority for commercial gaming in the UAE; commercial gaming without one of its licences is illegal. Its public register lists companies, and as of mid-2026 it shows exactly one land-based casino licensee — Wynn's project in Ras Al Khaimah, as we tracked in our report on Wynn Al Marjan's solitary presence on the register — and one internet gaming and sports wagering licensee, Coin Technology Projects LLC of Abu Dhabi, the operator behind Play971 and TrueWin. Our licence tracker logs every entry.

What the register does not do is assign licences to emirates. A licence is federal; the per-emirate element enters through geography and local consent.

The map today, emirate by emirate

Ras Al Khaimah has the most. Wynn Al Marjan Island, a $5.1 billion resort with a gaming floor larger than Wynn Las Vegas, is due to open in 2027, as our opening-date explainer covers. Play971 is also accessible there.

Abu Dhabi hosts the GCGRA itself, the only licensed online operator and Play971's live platform, including a GCGRA-licensed live-dealer studio. It is also where MGM Resorts placed its bet: the company applied for a casino licence in September 2024, tied to Yas Island, and a year later its chief executive was publicly acknowledging the hold-up. The application remains pending.

Sharjah has online access only. Khaleej Times confirmed in June 2026 that residents there can use Play971.

Dubai has nothing licensed. Play971 geoblocks the emirate outright, and Bird & Bird observed that Dubai has neither a licensed land-based nor online operator. MGM is building a Dubai resort, The Island, without a casino; its leadership has said the property could only host one with the Dubai ruler's approval. Under the reported model, Dubai has one licence of each type to give, and has so far given neither.

Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have no licensed gaming presence and no publicly reported applications.

Why the industry believes the model anyway

Three pieces of circumstantial evidence keep the theory alive. First, the tempo: Bird & Bird describes licensing as "controlled and gradual," which is what a rationed system looks like from outside. Second, the operator's own language: Play971's commercial director Philippa Bowland told Khaleej Times in June 2026 that "platform availability is determined at the emirate level," and that expansion is "subject to local frameworks and regulatory approvals." Third, the plumbing: GCGRA technical standards require geolocation precise enough to confine play within permitted territory, making emirate-level switching straightforward, as our explainer on Play971's location checks shows.

None of this is proof. It is consistent behaviour around an unpublished rule.

If the model is real, what does it mean?

The arithmetic is simple: a maximum of seven land-based casino licences and seven online B2C licences, ever, minus every emirate that abstains — and Bird & Bird expects more conservative emirates to abstain entirely. Analyst commentary has generally settled on three or four casino resorts rather than seven, an expectation rather than an official cap.

That framing explains the market's strange shape: why MGM has waited nearly two years on an Abu Dhabi application rather than shopping between emirates, why Dubai's non-decision matters more than any announced project, and why Wynn's head start may prove durable. Under a rationed model, being first is not just an advantage; it is the licence.

What to watch

Confirmation, if it comes, will come from the GCGRA itself: a published framework, a register update, or a second land-based licence. The nearest-term signals are a decision on MGM's Abu Dhabi application and any change to Play971's Dubai geoblock. Until then, every reference to "one casino per emirate" should carry the label this article does: reported, not confirmed.

FAQ

Is the one-casino-per-emirate model official UAE policy? No. Trade publications reported it in late October 2025; the GCGRA has never confirmed it, a point Bird & Bird made explicitly in January 2026.

Do emirates have their own gaming regulators? No. The GCGRA is the sole, federal licensing authority. Under the reported model, emirates simply decide whether licensed gaming operates in their territory.

How many casinos are licensed in the UAE right now? One land-based casino licensee — Wynn Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, opening 2027 — and one online operator, Coin Technology Projects LLC, behind Play971 and TrueWin.

Can I gamble online in Dubai? Not on licensed platforms. Play971 geoblocks Dubai, and no licensed gaming operates there as of July 2026. Unlicensed sites remain illegal.

What is the status of MGM's UAE casino application? Pending. MGM applied for an Abu Dhabi licence in September 2024 and no decision has been announced.

How many casino resorts will the UAE eventually have? Unknown. Analyst commentary commonly suggests three or four, but no official cap or target exists.

Sources

Asia Gaming Brief, "UAE moves toward one online gaming license per Emirate under new GCGRA framework" (28 Oct 2025): https://agbrief.com/news/uae/28/10/2025/uae-moves-toward-one-online-gaming-license-per-emirate-under-new-gcgra-framework/
Yogonet, "UAE to reportedly offer one online gaming licence per emirate; participation subject to emirate approval" (29 Oct 2025): https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2025/10/29/116048-uae-to-reportedly-offer-one-online-gaming-licence-per-emirate-participation-subject-to-emirate-approval
Bird & Bird, "All Bets Are On: 2025 UAE Commercial Gaming Review" (19 Jan 2026): https://www.twobirds.com/en/insights/2026/united-arab-emirates/all-bets-are-on-2025-uae-commercial-gaming-review
Khaleej Times, "Play971 UAE: Full guide to access, sports wagering and restrictions" (6 Jun 2026): https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/play971-uae-full-guide-to-access-sports-wagering-and-restrictions
Skift, "MGM Resorts Has Applied for a Casino License in Abu Dhabi" (19 Sep 2024): https://skift.com/2024/09/19/mgm-resorts-has-applied-for-a-casino-license-in-abu-dhabi/
SoloAzar, "MGM Boss Weighs In on Casino License Hold-Up as Dubai Mega-Resort Moves Forward" (15 Sep 2025): https://soloazar.com/en/category/casino/mgm-boss-weighs-in-on-casino-license-hold-up-as-dubai-mega-resort-moves-forward
Public Gaming, "Jim Murren named interim CEO of UAE gambling regulator" (19 Oct 2025): https://publicgaming.com/news-categories/regulatory-issues/15072-jim-murren-named-interim-ceo-of-uae-gambling-regulator-after-kevin-mullally-steps-down
Mondaq, "UAE Commercial Gaming Law: GCGRA Licences, Online Gaming, Sports Wagering and Lotteries" (Jan 2026): https://www.mondaq.com/gaming/1729372/uae-commercial-gaming-law-gcgra-licences-online-gaming-sports-wagering-and-lotteries
GCGRA, official site: https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/