Gaming equipment maker and content provider International Game Technology Plc (IGT) has been granted a gaming-related vendor licence in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The licence was awarded by the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA).
According to the regulator’s website, there are currently seven gaming-related vendor licensees.
In October, gaming equipment and technology supplier Aristocrat said it had received the first gaming vendor licence in the UAE. Other licensees include gaming equipment maker and operator Novomatic AG, which was granted a licence by the GCGRA in mid-April.
In late April, gaming testing laboratory and technical consultancy BMM Testlabs said it had received “official approval” to test gaming products for the licensed lottery and commercial gaming sectors in the UAE.
The GCGRA, established in September 2023, is the federal entity overseeing commercial gaming activities in the UAE. It is chaired by Jim Murren, a former chairman and chief executive of casino group MGM Resorts International.
According to the regulator’s website, so far there is only one licensed casino operator in the UAE. That is Wynn Resorts Ltd, which is developing with local partners the Wynn Al Marjan Island casino resort in Ras Al Khaimah, one of the emirates.
The complex is due to have a “pre-opening” in the first quarter of 2027, as per Wynn Resorts.
IGT is set to sell its gaming and digital interests to funds managed by affiliates of private equity firm Apollo Global Management Inc for US$4.05 billion. The gaming supplier said the deal is “expected to close by the end of the third quarter of 2025,” as previously outlined.
Upon completion of the sale, the current IGT will become purely a lottery services company under a new name and ticker symbol.
The funds linked to Apollo will simultaneously acquire gaming technology supplier Everi Holdings Inc, paying US$14.25 per share in cash.
Hector Fernandez, who resigned from his post as chief executive of Aristocrat Gaming, is to become CEO of the combined enterprise formed by IGT and Everi Holdings.
