Wynn Resorts and its partners have hired contractors to begin work on a $2 billion integrated resort complex on the man-made Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). With a scheduled 2027 opening, Wynn is on track to operate the first casino in the UAE.
In a statement, the Las Vegas-based casino operator said ALEC Engineering and Contracting is the main construction contractor and Bauer International has begun construction preparation by driving the pilings that will support the buildings.
Wynn CEO Craig Billings did not provide a comment for the announcement, but Abdulla Abdooli, CEO of Marjan, the property’s master developer, said the project is the largest in Ras Al Khaimah’s hospitality sector.
“ALEC Engineering and Bauer International will ensure the timely completion of the integrated Wynn Resort,” Abdooli said.
On Wynn’s fourth-quarter earnings conference call on Feb. 8, Billings said he hoped to share renderings of the project in the next few months.
“The more time we spend in that market, the more confident we are in the project,” he said.
In an interview with The Nevada Independent last summer, Billings said the Ras Al Khaimah project would put “95 percent of the world’s population within an eight-hour flight of the Wynn brand.” He said the international airport in nearby Dubai sees more than 80 million passengers a year.
