Casino in Ras Al Khaimah: Is It Open, Is It Legal and Who Can Play?

Ras Al Khaimah will have the UAE’s first legal casino, but it is not open yet. The casino is part of Wynn Al Marjan Island, a resort on Al Marjan Island that Wynn Resorts expects to open in September 2027. Until then there is no licensed casino floor anywhere in the UAE — not in Ras Al Khaimah, not in Dubai, not in Abu Dhabi.

This guide answers the practical questions about a casino in Ras Al Khaimah: why it is legal, where it is, how to get there, who is expected to be allowed to play, which games you will find and what they cost you, and what the UAE’s gambling law means for you in the meantime. For the latest on the resort itself — construction, budget and opening date — see our Wynn Al Marjan Island news tracker. Last updated: 16 October 2026.

News · Published 16 October 2026

Is There a Casino in Ras Al Khaimah?

Not yet. The only casino licensed in the UAE is the one being built at Wynn Al Marjan Island, and its current expected opening is September 2027. Wynn Resorts confirmed that date on 4 August 2026, after earlier targets of “early 2027” and spring 2027. It has not said whether the hotel, restaurants and casino will all open on the same day; resorts of this size sometimes open in phases.

Venues advertised online as a “casino in Ras Al Khaimah” today are not licensed casinos. Hotel “casino nights”, gaming lounges with prizes, or private games are not covered by any GCGRA licence, and the regulator states that taking part in unlicensed commercial gaming is illegal for players as well as organisers.

Why Is the Casino in Ras Al Khaimah?

Gambling in the UAE is regulated federally. In 2023 the country set up the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), based in Abu Dhabi, with authority across all seven emirates over lottery, internet gaming, sports wagering and “land-based integrated gaming facilities or resorts”. A casino can only operate with a GCGRA licence, wherever it is.

Ras Al Khaimah got the first one because the Wynn project was already there. Wynn Al Marjan Island is a joint venture of Wynn Resorts with Marjan and RAK Hospitality Holding, both linked to the emirate, and the government of Ras Al Khaimah co-guarantees the completion of the project to its lenders. On 4 October 2024 the GCGRA issued the joint venture a Commercial Gaming Facility Operator licence — the first in the UAE. In the GCGRA’s register the licensee is listed as Island 3 AMI FZ-LLC.

No other land-based casino licence appeared in the GCGRA’s register when we last checked it. Dubai has no casino licence and no gaming regulator of its own.

Where Is the Ras Al Khaimah Casino?

The casino will be inside the Wynn resort on Island 3 of Al Marjan Island, a man-made archipelago off the coast of Ras Al Khaimah. Gulf News describes Al Marjan Island as extending about 4.5 kilometres into the Arabian Gulf, and the Wynn plot as more than 60 hectares.

How to Get There

• From Dubai — Wynn says the resort is about 50 minutes from Dubai International Airport. The usual route is north by car along the coast through Sharjah and Ajman.
• From Abu Dhabi — a longer drive through Dubai; allow extra time for traffic around Dubai and Sharjah.
• By air — Ras Al Khaimah International Airport serves the emirate directly, and Dubai International is the main hub for international visitors.
• Transfers — Wynn has not yet announced shuttle or transfer services. We will add them when they are confirmed.

What Will the Resort Offer?

The casino is one part of a much larger resort, and most visitors will spend more time outside the gaming floor than on it. According to Wynn, Wynn Al Marjan Island will have:

• 1,530 rooms and suites — 1,217 resort guest rooms, the 297-suite Enclave high in the tower, two Royal Apartments, four Garden Townhomes and ten Marina Estates by the water;
• 22 restaurants, lounges and bars, whose names and cuisines have not been announced;
• twelve pools, three of them reserved for Enclave guests, and about 1.4 km (4,500 feet) of private beach;
• a tower of 352 metres with its spire — the tallest building in the Northern Emirates.

Gulf News also reports a 900-seat theatre and a 15,000 square-metre retail promenade. Wynn has not published the size of the gaming floor; in 2023 the Nevada Independent reported that gaming would take about 4% of the resort’s area.

Who Will Be Allowed to Play?

The entry rules for the casino floor have not been published by the GCGRA or by Wynn. Until they are, here is what is known and what is only reported:

What is certain is that the casino will be subject to the GCGRA’s responsible gaming rules. Every licensed operator must run an audited responsible gaming programme, train its staff, follow the regulator’s advertising standards and offer tools such as spending and time limits and self-exclusion.

If you are planning a trip to play, check the entry rules on the official Wynn Al Marjan Island website once they are published, rather than relying on third-party sites.

Games You Can Expect at the Casino

The GCGRA lists slots, roulette, blackjack, baccarat and craps as typical games of a land-based gaming facility. Wynn has not published its game mix, but these are the games every major integrated resort offers. The house edge — the share of each bet the casino keeps on average — differs a lot between them:

Mathematical values for standard rules. Actual rules and limits will be set by the casino.

If you are planning a visit, learn the game before you sit down. Our roulette guide explains every bet and its odds, and our casino games guide covers the other table games.

How the Casino Changes UAE Gambling Law — and How It Doesn’t

The Wynn licence makes one casino legal. It does not change the law for anything else:

• Licensed gambling in the UAE is limited to GCGRA licensees: the UAE Lottery, Play971 for online casino and sports betting, and — once it opens — Wynn Al Marjan Island.
• Unlicensed gambling remains a crime. Under the Crimes and Penalties Law (Federal Decree-Law 31 of 2021), gambling with an unlicensed operator can be punished with up to two years in prison or a fine of up to AED 50,000. For foreign residents, a conviction can also lead to deportation.
• Offshore online casinos licensed in Curaçao, Malta or elsewhere are not authorised in the UAE, whatever their licence abroad.

Our UAE gambling laws guide explains the rules in detail.

Legal Options Until the Casino Opens

Before September 2027, two GCGRA-licensed products are available:

• The UAE Lottery, run by The Game LLC under the first GCGRA licence, granted in July 2024.
• Play971, the only licensed online casino and sportsbook, live since 15 December 2025, for players aged 21 or over who are physically in the UAE. Our Play971 guide explains how it works.

The Casino and Ras Al Khaimah

The resort is the centrepiece of a wider plan for Al Marjan Island. The same joint venture is also building Janu Al Marjan Island, a hotel and residential project operated by Aman Group and expected to open in 2029. Developers and estate agents promote the area heavily on the strength of the casino, and many of the articles you will find about a “Ras Al Khaimah casino” are property marketing. Treat claims about prices or returns with the caution you would give any sales pitch — they are not part of the casino project.

For Wynn Resorts it will be the first resort in the Middle East, after Wynn Las Vegas and Encore in Las Vegas, Wynn Palace and Wynn Macau in Macau, and Encore Boston Harbor in Massachusetts — and the only one in which it holds just 40%.

Play Responsibly

A first casino in the region will draw many people who have never played in one. Decide your budget before you arrive, treat it as the cost of the evening, and stop when it is gone. Do not chase losses, and do not borrow to play. The GCGRA requires licensed operators to offer limits and self-exclusion; use them. If gambling is causing you or someone close to you difficulty, confidential help is available from BeGambleAware.

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