MGM Resorts Ups its Bet on 'The Island' in Dubai - But No Casino


Jumeirah Beach MGM Resort in Dubai is being developed by MGM Hospitality and Wasl Asset Management Group near Burj Al Arab Source MGM Resorts

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MGM CEO Bill Hornbuckle still hasn't got the greenlight for his casino in Dubai, but that isn't stopping him spending billions on the project.

MGM Resorts's upcoming three-hotels-in-one mega-resort in Dubai will not have a casino, CEO and president Bill Hornbuckle has said. Still, he has high hopes for the project, now with a new budget in excess of $2.5 billion.

"Obviously, we have Dubai. We have our project there, which is an amazing project. It's going to be over a $2.5 billion project without a casino in it," Hornbuckle said Tuesday during a conference call with investors.

The Dubai project is known as "The Island" and will combine an Aria, an MGM and a Bellagio into a 1,400-room resort. It has been in the works since 2017, announced by the emirate's ruler himself, but has seen little progress. There is cu