The Dubai project known as ‘The Island’ was initially expected to open in 2027.
MGM Resorts International’s $2.5 billion Dubai integrated resort project is now slated to be completed in the second half of 2028.
The Las Vegas casino and hotel giant confirmed the new target in its Q2 2025 Earnings Call.
It had previously hoped to open the resort in 2027.
“Progress in Dubai has also started to gather steam with an expected opening date of the second half of 2028,” said William Joseph Hornbuckle, MGM Resorts International’s President, CEO & Director.
The project, which will likely be the first casino in Dubai if MGM are granted the necessary operating licenses, is being developed on an artificial island near Jumeirah Beach.
The later-than-expected opening date hands MGM’s competitor, Wynn Resorts, an even larger head start in the UAE’s emerging gambling market.
Wynn Al Marjan Island resort in Ras Al Khaimah will open in spring 2027 and, with a GCGRA license already secured, it will be able to open legal gambling on site from day one.
