UAE’s TrueWin, Dream Island online betting platforms go live

Momentum, the company behind the UAE’s only licensed lottery, has launched two online betting and casino platforms, TrueWin and Dream Island, Arabian Gulf Business Insights reports.

Both sites offer casino games and sports betting and are already live.

Their launch comes as the UAE weighs a historic policy shift that could generate an estimated $6.6 billion in annual gaming revenue.

Both TrueWin and Dream Island were registered in March 2023, several months before the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority was established.

It comes as the UAE Lottery announced on Tuesday that it would be revamping its flagship Lucky Draw, just weeks after handing out its first Dh100 million ($27 million) grand prize. 

Saudi Arabia splits with IOC over staging Esports Olympics

Saudi Arabia and the International Olympic Committee have “mutually” ended a deal to jointly hold the Olympic Esports Games.

Instead, the IOC and the kingdom will pursue their own esports ambitions separately, Bloomberg reports.

The 12-year agreement, signed last year, was supposed to see Saudi Arabia host the inaugural Esports Olympics, a part of its ambition to be a global hub for gaming.

The kingdom held its second Esports World Cup over the summer, attracting more than 2,000 professional players from over 100 countries, and its Public Investment Fund has since signed a blockbuster $55 billion deal to take gaming company Electronic Arts private.

Dubai to unveil first gaming pavilion at Germany’s Gamescom

Dubai expects to turn heads at Germany’s Gamescom 2025 next week when it unveils the first gaming pavilion sponsored by a Middle East government.

The emirate wants to use the world’s biggest gaming event to showcase its $1 billion effort to rank among the world’s top 10 gaming hubs by 2033, Arabian Business reports.

“Our presence at Gamescom underscores the strength of an ecosystem that combines innovation, education, advanced technology, and talent development,” Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture, said in a statement.

Some 350 gaming companies have set up shop in Dubai, 12% of them part of major global tech firms, the news site said.

Wynn resorts is in the midst of building the UAE’s first casino in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, which is due to open in 2027.

UAE Lottery launches new digital games, eyeing sector expansion

The UAE Lottery has introduced two new digital games offering prizes of up to $340,000, as it seeks to expand its product offering within the country’s nascent regulated gaming sector.

The launch of Marble Run and Lucky Lagoon, the new titles, overseen by the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, reflect a broader state-backed effort to formalize lottery and gaming activities, The National reports.

The expansion marks the first significant product rollout since the Lottery was licensed in 2023, and coincides with a multi-year partnership between UAE Lottery operator Game LLC and U.S.-based EQL Games.

The move signals growing investor interest and regulatory confidence in the UAE’s evolving commercial gaming landscape.

Wynn Resorts to outline plans after getting UAE gaming license

Wynn Resorts will spell out its plans in Las Vegas tomorrow for the UAE’s first gaming location, offering a progress report on the $3.9 billion venture that is under construction and set to open in 2027.

The briefing for investors follows the granting to Wynn last week of a commercial gaming operator’s license by the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority for its Al Marjan Island hotel and casino resort off the coast of Ras Al Khaimah.

The UAE has long been seen as a potential regional gaming center because of its oil wealth, its growing number of high-net-worth residents and its recognition of one of the Middle East’s top tourist destinations.

MGM Resorts International said last month that it had applied for a gaming license for a property it’s building in Abu Dhabi.

Esports sector to contribute $13.3 billion to Saudi GDP by 2030

Saudi Arabia’s push to become a regional center for gaming is paying off, with the esports sector expected to contribute $13.3 billion to the kingdom’s GDP by 2030, according to a new report from PwC Middle East and the Saudi Esports Federation.

Interest in esports is growing across the region, with gaming revenues for the Middle East and North Africa reaching $7.2 billion in 2023.

Saudi Arabia is preparing to host the first Olympic Esports Games from next year, after successfully holding its inaugural Esports World Cup at Riyadh’s Boulevard City over the past two months.

The event, in which an estimated 2,500 gamers competed for a prize pool of $62.5 million, concluded on Sunday with the Saudi Falcons team declared as champions. 

Saudi Esports Cup to wrap up as business of gaming grows

After an eight-week gaming extravaganza, Saudi Arabia’s inaugural Esports World Cup at Riyadh’s Boulevard City will wrap up this weekend, with four final tournaments and a high-octane closing ceremony planned for Sunday night.

The champions of fighting game Tekken 8 will be crowned this evening, followed by finals for battle royale shooter PUBG, vehicular soccer hybrid Rocket League and racing game ESL R1 on Sunday.

The matches will conclude a marathon event that has featured 22 tournaments across 21 titles, with an estimated 2,500 gamers slogging it out for their share in the $60 million prize pool.

Hosting the biggest event in esports history has put Saudi Arabia front and center in the global gaming market. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a fan of the Call of Duty zombie military game, has earmarked $38 billion from the Public Investment Fund to help spur on the local industry, with the aim of attracting 250 gaming companies and studios to the kingdom.

While the competition wraps up, Saudi leadership will be turning their focus to the business end of gaming, with the New Global Sports Conference kicking off tomorrow.

More than 60 speakers and 1,200 delegates from the esports, gaming and entertainment industries will converge at Riyadh’s Four Seasons, with the kingdom’s plans to host the Olympic Esports Games from next year high on the agenda.

UAE grants first lottery license in key step for gaming reform

The UAE has granted its first lottery license, a key step in establishing a regulated commercial gaming sector in the emirates, where construction of the Gulf’s first casino resort is underway in Ras Al Khaimah.

Approval of the new UAE Lottery, to be run by commercial gaming operator The Game LLC, was announced on Sunday by the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, a federal body which was set up late last year to oversee gaming activities in the country, including lottery, online gaming, sports wagering and casino resorts.

“The launch of the UAE Lottery is a pivotal event that not only marks the establishment of a disciplined world-class regulatory framework for lottery activities but also underscores our commitment to nurturing a secure and enriched commercial gaming environment in the UAE,” Jim Murren, chairman of the GCGRA, said in a statement.

The new lottery license comes after existing raffle-style draws in the Emirates, including the popular weekly draw by Mahzooz, were required to pause business in January while the GCGRA developed its framework for gaming regulation.

It comes amid anticipation of Las Vegas casino operator Wynn Resorts’ $4 billion development on the Marjan islands, about one hour’s drive north of Dubai, which is expected to open in 2027.

Saudi Arabia prepares to welcome thousands of gamers for Esports World Cup

Saudi Arabia is getting set to put its stamp on the global gaming market this summer when it hosts the Esports World Cup over eight weeks in July and August.

Boulevard Riyadh City will be the venue for the competition’s debut from July 4 to Aug. 25. More than 2,500 players are expected to compete for a $60 million prize pool, the largest in esports history.

German esports entrepreneur Ralf Reichert is CEO of the host organization, the Esports World Cup Foundation, a nonprofit established in 2023 and based in Riyadh. 

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said to be a devotee of the Call of Duty zombie military game, has earmarked $38 billion from the Public Investment Fund – with the aim of attracting 250 gaming companies and studios while creating 39,000 video game-related jobs in the process.

The homegrown strategy builds on the kingdom’s credentials in the e-arena with investments in the biggest players like Tencent, Nintendo, Activision Blizzard and Ubisoft.

In March, Saudi Arabia’s National Development Fund and the Social Development Bank announced the establishment of two venture capital funds with a combined value of $120 million to back new esports companies in the kingdom.

One gaming executive who was attracted to the region is Will Dalio, the son of billionaire hedge funder Ray Dalio, who opened an outpost of his family office in Abu Dhabi last year.

The young Dalio is using Abu Dhabi as a market to grow his educational game-making company, Endless Studios.

He told The National’s Business Extra podcast that Gulf residents are some of the most active gamers in the world but have little hand in video games’ creation.

“There’s no creation here. We believe that should be bridged,” Dalio said.