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.
