https://www.timeoutdubai.com/ :The highly anticipated Wynn Al Marjan Island resort has a new opening date, it has been revealed.

Based in Ras Al Khaimah, the resort is set to be home to a luxury spa, beach club and the UAE’s first-ever casino.

The resort brand has now revealed that the landmark project is set to welcome guests from September 2027.

The announcement was made by Craig Billings, CEO of Wynn Resorts, in a quarterly call with investors on Tuesday August 4.

He said: “Wynn Resorts, alongside our partners in Ras Al Khaimah, are now pleased to announce that Wynn Al Marjan Island, the most exciting integrated resort to be developed in over a decade, will open its doors to guests in September of 2027.”

Why the UAE’s first casino will open in Ras Al Khaimah
Wynn Resorts was granted the UAE’s first commercial gaming license back in 2024 and the brand’s Ras Al Khaimah venue will include the first commercial gaming facility in the country once it opens its doors.

In July 2024, the UAE established its rules and regulations surrounding commercial gaming in the country and set up the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority.

This authority, first set up at the end of 2023, laid out the ground rules for responsible gaming and paved the way for casinos to operate in the country.

Despite plans for big Las Vegas brands such as the MGM, Bellagio and Aria all in the pipeline for The Island Dubai project, there has been no indication that a casino is scheduled to open in Dubai before the Wynn Al Marjan Island project is completed.

Aside from the casino, the Ras Al Khaimah resort will include a whopping 22 restaurants, lounges and bars, a 900-seat theatre and a luxury retail promenade spanning 15,000 square metres.

There will be more than 1,500 rooms, suites and residences at the site, 12 swimming pools, a marina for superyachts and 420 metres of private white sand beach too.

Construction is now entering the final phase at the highly anticipated resort, with structural concrete work of the centrepiece 70-story tower already completed.

A 548-metre bridge will connect the island resort with the E311 and E611 highways when completed. And a flying taxi service is scheduled to connect the Al Marjan Island resort with Dubai in the near future, with journeys expected to take just 15 minutes.