Casino in UAE Opening Date: Every Resort Timeline From 2027 to 2029

Last updated: 13 November 2026

The opening date of the first casino in the UAE is September 2027, according to Wynn's Q2 2026 filing, when Wynn Al Marjan Island is due to open in Ras Al Khaimah. It is the only casino resort with a published date. MGM's three Dubai hotels are due in the third quarter of 2028 with no gaming announced, and Janu Al Marjan Island, the Aman-run resort next to Wynn, is now expected in 2029. Searches for a "casino in Dubai in 2027" usually mean the Wynn resort, about an hour's drive from Dubai, because Dubai has no licensed casino planned.

Key takeaways

• Wynn Al Marjan Island: September 2027, per Wynn's Q2 2026 filing. It is the UAE's only licensed casino and the only one with a date.
• The date has moved four times: 2026 (2022 announcement), "early 2027" (2023), Q1 2027 (2024), "2027" (May 2026), then September 2027 (August 2026).
• MGM Grand, Bellagio and Aria Dubai: third quarter of 2028, according to MGM's chief executive. They are hotels only, with no casino announced.
• Janu Al Marjan Island: announced for late 2028, moved to 2029 in Wynn's Q2 2026 10-Q. No casino announced.
• Other casinos: no second casino licence has been issued. The GCGRA's chairman said in 2024 that other licences would come over the "next five to ten years".

When does the first casino in the UAE open?

September 2027, as of Wynn's Q2 2026 filing. Wynn Resorts confirmed the month with its second-quarter results on 4 August 2026, and its 10-Q describes the resort as "currently expected to open in September 2027". No day has been given. Wynn has said it does not do phased openings, so the casino floor, hotel, restaurants and theatre are planned to open together.

The casino is in Ras Al Khaimah, not Dubai. Island 3 AMI FZ-LLC, the joint venture behind the resort, holds the UAE's only land-based commercial gaming licence from the federal regulator, the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA). Until the resort opens, no legal casino operates anywhere in the country. Our Dubai casino explainer covers why Dubai itself has none.

As of the Q2 filing, this was Wynn's latest position. Wynn was scheduled to publish Q3 2026 results on 5 November 2026. This page was prepared before that release, so check our opening date tracker for any change.

UAE casino and resort opening dates at a glance

Project — Emirate — Expected opening — Casino?

• Wynn Al Marjan Island — Ras Al Khaimah — September 2027 — Yes, licensed
• Wynn Al Marjan weddings and events — Ras Al Khaimah — Celebrations from late 2027 — Part of the Wynn resort
• MGM Grand, Bellagio, Aria (The Island) — Dubai — Q3 2028 — None announced
• Janu Al Marjan Island (Aman) — Ras Al Khaimah — 2029 — None announced
• A second UAE casino resort — Not decided — No date — No licence issued

Supporting projects around Wynn have their own dates. Wynn's 548-metre bridge to the E311 and E611 motorways was last reported as due in "late 2026". The Oasis staff village was scheduled for summer 2026. Ras Al Khaimah International Airport's VVIP private-jet terminal is due in the first quarter of 2027, according to Gulf News. Our construction update has the latest on each.

How has the Wynn Al Marjan opening date changed?

The target has slipped by more than a year since the project was announced. Each move is on the record:

When — Stated opening — Source

• 25 Jan 2022 — 2026 — Khaleej Times, at the announcement
• 27 Apr 2023 — "Early 2027" — Design unveiling (Asia Gaming Brief)
• 28 Oct 2024 — First quarter of 2027 — RAK Hospitality COO Donald Bremmer (Asia Gaming Brief)
• 7 May 2026 — "2027", after a "modest delay" — Wynn Q1 2026 earnings call
• 4 Aug 2026 — September 2027 — Wynn Q2 2026 results and 10-Q

The most recent slip came from the 2026 Iran conflict. In May, chief executive Craig Billings warned of a "modest delay" after "logistical and shipping challenges in the region". In August Wynn set the September 2027 date and raised the budget by about US$600 million, about half of which Billings attributed directly to the conflict. Our delay explainer goes through that call in detail.

Could September 2027 slip again?

It could, but the evidence points to a resort in its finishing stages. The tower's structure was completed in late 2025, and interior fit-out of the hotel rooms was under way by August 2026. Billings said at G2E, as reported in early October, that the war had cost the project "one day" of construction, according to Casino Reports as quoted by PokerNews.

The lenders' timeline also leaves room. Wynn and the Ras Al Khaimah government have jointly guaranteed that the resort will reach practical completion "no later than June 30, 2028", according to Wynn's 10-Q. That gives about nine months of margin after the September 2027 target before the financing backstop is reached. A slip into 2028 would not breach the guarantee, but it would mean a sixth published opening date.

Is there a casino coming to Dubai in 2027 or 2028?

Not one that has been announced. MGM's Dubai project, on a man-made island called The Island off Umm Suqeim near the Burj Al Arab, will have about 1,400 rooms across MGM Grand, Bellagio and Aria hotels. MGM chief executive Bill Hornbuckle said on the company's Q4 2025 earnings call that "Bellagio, Aria and MGM Grand Hotel towers [are] scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2028", Khaleej Times reported.

Khaleej Times describes MGM's Dubai deal with Wasl Hospitality as a non-gaming management agreement. Asked whether there will be a casino, What's On answered in July 2026: "So far, no." Hornbuckle had said in 2025, "Hopefully, we'll get to add gaming." What's On also notes that MGM has bid for a gaming licence in Abu Dhabi, but no Abu Dhabi licence appears on the GCGRA's register. Our MGM Dubai explainer has the full background.

"Bellagio Dubai" searches also turn up Sunrise Capital's "Bellagio" residences at Wasl Gate in Jebel Ali, with handover due in the third quarter of 2027. The launch coverage does not link that project to MGM. A Vegas brand name on a Dubai building does not mean a casino.

When does Janu Al Marjan Island open, and will it have a casino?

Janu's date has slipped once in Wynn's filings. When Wynn, Marjan and Aman Group announced the 132-room resort on 10 November 2025, it was scheduled for late 2028. Wynn's FY2025 10-K repeated "late 2028" and the Q1 2026 10-Q said 2028. The Q2 2026 10-Q says Janu "is expected to open in 2029".

No casino has been announced for Janu. It sits across from Wynn Al Marjan Island and is part of the same Wynn–Marjan partnership. See our Janu Al Marjan profile.

When will the UAE get a second casino?

There is no date, and no second licence. Island 3 AMI FZ-LLC, the Wynn Al Marjan entity, is the only land-based gaming licensee on the GCGRA's public register. At the Skift Global Forum East in Dubai in November 2024, GCGRA chairman Jim Murren said the regulator was "focused on the operators we have already licensed". He added that other licences would follow over the "next five to ten years", so Wynn "certainly has the head start".

Trade press has reported a model of one casino per emirate, which the GCGRA has not confirmed. Our one casino per emirate explainer sets out what is known. Until another licence appears on the register, any "casino opening in Dubai" claim is speculation.

FAQ

What is the casino in UAE opening date? September 2027, for Wynn Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, according to Wynn's Q2 2026 filing. It is the UAE's only licensed casino resort.

Will Dubai have a casino in 2027? No casino is licensed or announced for Dubai. The nearest will be Wynn Al Marjan Island, roughly 80 km from central Dubai.

When do MGM's Dubai hotels open? In the third quarter of 2028, according to MGM CEO Bill Hornbuckle. No casino has been announced for them.

Has the Wynn opening date changed before? Yes. It has moved from 2026 to early 2027, then Q1 2027, then "2027", and finally September 2027.

When does Janu Al Marjan Island open? 2029, according to Wynn's Q2 2026 10-Q. It was originally announced for late 2028.

Will there be more casinos in the UAE? Possibly, but none is licensed. The GCGRA's chairman said in 2024 that further licences would come over five to ten years.

Further reading

• Wynn Al Marjan Island opening date explained
• Wynn Al Marjan Island construction: where it stands
• MGM Dubai casino: The Island explained
• Janu Al Marjan Island: Aman joins Wynn on Al Marjan
• One casino per emirate? How the reported licensing model works

Sources

• Wynn Resorts, Form 10-Q for the quarter ended 30 June 2026 (6 August 2026): https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1174922/000117492226000055/wynn-20260630.htm
• Wynn Resorts, Q2 2026 results press release (4 August 2026): https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001174922/000117492226000051/ex991wrlq22026pressrelease.htm
• Wynn Resorts, Form 10-K for 2025 (2 March 2026): https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1174922/000117492226000013/wynn-20251231.htm
• Wynn Resorts, Form 10-Q for the quarter ended 31 March 2026 (7 May 2026): https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1174922/000117492226000035/wynn-20260331.htm
• Khaleej Times, "UAE: Multibillion-dollar integrated resort to open on manmade island Marjan" (25 January 2022): https://www.khaleejtimes.com/travel/uae-attractions/uae-multibillion-dollar-integrated-resort-to-open-on-manmade-island-marjan
• Asia Gaming Brief, "Wynn unveils design for UAE IR: Wynn Al Marjan Island, opening in 'early 2027'" (27 April 2023): https://agbrief.com/news/world/27/04/2023/wynn-unveils-design-for-uae-ir-wynn-al-marjan-island-opening-in-early-2027/
• Asia Gaming Brief, "Wynn Al Marjan Island set to open in the first quarter of 2027: Report" (28 October 2024): https://agbrief.com/news/uae/28/10/2024/wynn-al-marjan-island-set-to-open-in-the-first-quarter-of-2027-report/
• Khaleej Times, "Wynn Al Marjan could see 'modest delay' in opening next year due to regional conflict" (9 May 2026): https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/wynn-al-marjan-could-see-a-modest-delay-in-opening-next-year-due-to-regional-conflict
• Khaleej Times, "Construction of MGM Resorts' hotels in Dubai on track; opening in Q3 2028, says CEO" (6 February 2026): https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/mgm-resorts-hotels-dubai-opening-q3-2028
• What's On, "Exciting news: Dubai's MGM Resort has an opening date" (1 July 2026): https://whatson.ae/2026/07/everything-we-know-so-far-about-the-island-megaproject-home-to-mgm-aria-and-bellagio-hotels/
• iGaming Business, "GCGRA chair: Regulator will take its time with UAE resort licensing" (20 November 2024): https://igamingbusiness.com/casino/property-development/uae-integrated-resort-licensing
• PokerNews, "Is the Iran War Delaying the Persian Gulf's First Casino?" (5 October 2026): https://pokernews.com/casino/news/2026/10/wynn-al-marjan-island-progress-52546.htm
• Wynn Resorts newsroom, "Wynn Al Marjan Island Reimagines the Destination Wedding" (2 November 2026): https://www.newsroom.wynnresorts.com/en/wynnalmarjan/wynn-al-marjan-island-reimagines-the-destination-wedding/s/b40f4f5c-67e3-4b6c-8852-b8ddf80d1333
• Hotel News Resource, "Wynn Resorts and Marjan LLC to Open Janu Al Marjan Island Resort in 2028" (10 November 2025): https://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article138837.html
• RLI, "Sunrise Capital launches Bellagio in Wasl Gate" (13 March 2025): https://www.rli.uk.com/sunrise-capital-launches-bellagio-in-wasl-gate
• Gulf News, "RAK Airport to build luxury VVIP private jet terminal 15-minutes away from Wynn Al Marjan" (last updated 24 November 2025): https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/rak-airport-to-build-luxury-vvip-private-jet-terminal-15-minutes-away-from-wynn-al-marjan-1.500358036