The board that will regulate and license the operators of the United Arab Emirates’ newly established gaming industry has more than a few Nevada roots.
Former MGM Resorts International Chairman and CEO Jim Murren was named chairman of the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) nearly a year ago.
He will be joined on the seven-person board by gaming executive Mark Lipparelli, whose management company operates the Westgate Las Vegas, according to the recently launched GCCRA website. Lipparelli is a former state senator and one-time chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board and was a former top executive with three gaming equipment providers.
Also on the board is William Grounds, a former MGM board member and the former president of Dubai-owned Infinity World Development Corp., the company that previously owned half of the CityCenter development in Las Vegas.
Former Missouri Gaming Commission Executive Director Kevin Mullally is CEO of the GCGRA.
Last week, the GCCRA announced it had awarded a license to The Game, LLC, an Abu Dhabi, UAE-based company, to operate the country’s first authorized lottery. In a statement, Murren said establishing the framework for lottery activities “underscores our commitment to nurturing a secure and enriched commercial gaming environment in the UAE.”
One casino development is already under construction. Wynn Resorts is building a $3.9 billion integrated resort, first announced in 2022, on the man-made Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah. At least two other emirates — Dubai and Abu Dhabi — are targeted for a casino resort.
CBRE Equity Research analyst John DeCree, who led a team of CBRE analysts during a weeklong visit to the UAE in early May to gain an understanding of the market, said identifying a lottery operator was “a natural first course of legalized gaming given its prior gray market operation and customer acceptance.”
After reviewing the preliminary casino licensing framework, DeCree said the renewal process “appears more administrative,” which he said resembles Nevada licensing rather than the concession models in Macau and Singapore.
