Wynn Holds September 2027 for UAE Casino but Rethinks How It Opens

Wynn Resorts will decide around February how to open its $5.7 billion Wynn Al Marjan Island casino resort, and CEO Craig Billings is no longer ruling out a phased debut for the UAE's first integrated gaming property.

Speaking on the company's third-quarter earnings call on Thursday, Billings said the September 2027 opening date holds. What's in question is the customer mix that shows up on day one.

"We will make a decision about the format in which we open. And we'll probably make that decision around February," Billings said. He added that the mix of source markets the resort wants "does impact how we open" and that Wynn has "the playbooks for every single iteration of that today."

That's a notable shift in tone. In August, Billings dismissed the idea of a staggered rollout. "We generally don't do phased openings," he said then. "We would open the doors and open all the amenities exactly as we would any other particular opening."

The reversal matters for sellers of travel in the Gulf. A resort leaning on UAE residents rather than international high rollers changes who books, through which channels, and at what rate.

What changed between August and now?

The U.S.-Iran war is the variable. Billings laid out three demand scenarios tied to the conflict's trajectory: if fighting continues, the resort leans on people already in the UAE; if it moderates, it adds the wider region; if it resolves, Wynn's original demand thesis applies.

That original thesis, built in 2024, skewed heavily international. It projected 37% of gaming revenue from international high rollers and 29% from other international travelers. Billings now frames the UAE's wealthy, largely expat population as the base business — the segment "easiest to address." He named Western Europeans as the travelers most likely to be apprehensive about the region.

In plain terms: if the war drags on, Wynn's first gamblers may drive in from Dubai rather than fly in from London or Singapore.

What does the $5.7 billion budget include?

The price tag grew by roughly $600 million in August. Billings tied about half of that increase to war-related costs — shipping, insurance, and rerouted materials. The war has also delayed some neighboring hotel development around the site in Ras Al Khaimah.

Operationally, the build is moving. Handover of finished zones to the operations team starts in early January and runs through July, and rooms go on sale "quite soon," Billings said.

On the funding side, Wynn has contributed more than $1.12 billion in cash to the joint venture, in which it holds a 40% stake. The venture has drawn $1.76 billion on its construction loan.

Why February matters

A February format decision gives Wynn roughly 18 months of runway before the September 2027 opening — enough time to recalibrate marketing spend, distribution partnerships, and staffing around whichever demand scenario looks most likely.

For travel sellers, the signal is caution. Wynn hasn't abandoned its international thesis; it has acknowledged that geopolitics may dictate a different first year. The takeaway: the UAE's casino era still starts in September 2027, but who's on the casino floor when the doors open is now an open question with a February deadline.