Recently, the details of the UAE's Ras Al Khaimah Wynn Resorts are becoming clearer, and it is expected to meet everyone in 2027. Now, everyone's attention has begun to turn to its neighboring "heavyweight player" - Saudi Arabia. Although Saudi Arabia still says "no" to traditional gambling, its huge economic potential and the heavy investment in the tourism and entertainment industries, especially the ambitious 2030 Vision, are making the industry imaginative: Will Saudi Arabia also gradually open the doors to the gambling market?
The economic diversification impulse under the 2030 Vision
Saudi Arabia's determination to pursue economic diversification is obvious. In order to break away from dependence on oil, it has invested huge amounts of money in tourism and entertainment projects, aiming to create new economic growth points. Opening controlled gambling is undoubtedly a strong medicine to attract international high-end investment and stimulate the tourism industry. More interestingly, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has quietly laid out internationally, investing in many gambling and entertainment companies. This "indirect rescue" operation is seen by many as accumulating experience and resources for possible future policy changes.
Singapore model: Possibilities under strict control
Even if Saudi Arabia really decides to open up, the steps will not be too big. Analysts generally believe that it is likely to adopt Singapore's "integrated resort" model, strictly limiting gambling activities to a few high-end resorts, achieving strict supervision. How to find a balance between Islamic financial principles and gambling taxes? Establishing a special public welfare fund, directing tax revenue to national development projects, is a widely discussed scheme. Simply put, if Saudi Arabia opens up gambling, it may present the following characteristics:
• Establish a public welfare fund, using part of the income for social development.
• Strictly limit the gambling area within the integrated resorts.
• Conduct extremely strict audits and controls on operators' qualifications.
If this step is really taken, it will undoubtedly completely change the global gambling market landscape, attracting unprecedented capital inflow.
The global market awaits the wind, opportunities and challenges coexist
Facing such potential opportunities, how does the international market react? According to comprehensive industry information from the PASA official website and others, international operators are closely monitoring any policy movements in Saudi Arabia, and many have already started informal contacts with potential local partners, preparing cutlery in advance for the possible "feast". However, the greater the opportunity, the more daunting the challenges. In a country like Saudi Arabia, with extremely deep social, religious, and cultural traditions, any relaxation of gambling-related policies will face unprecedented controversy and resistance. So, even if there are changes, they must be cautious and slow. The big players in the global gambling industry are all holding their breath waiting for the next signal from Riyadh.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leader" gambling news channel:https://t.me/pasa_news
Original deep gambling channel:https://t.me/gamblingdeep
Free data report: @pasa_research
PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
