Wynn Delays UAE Casino Opening to September 2027, Adds $600 Million

Wynn Resorts said on its second-quarter earnings call on Aug. 4 that it had pushed the opening of its Wynn Al Marjan Island casino resort in the United Arab Emirates to September 2027.

Wynn raised the project's construction budget by $600 million to about $5.7 billion, the company said on the call.

About half of the increase follows the conflict in the Persian Gulf, which raised shipping and insurance costs and disrupted supply and staffing, the company said. The rest covers remeasurement, trade coordination and other costs.

Regional Conflict Accounts for Half the Increase

Wynn holds 40% of the joint venture building the resort in Ras Al Khaimah, alongside developer Marjan and RAK Hospitality Holding. It contributed $48.1 million in the second quarter of 2026, taking its life-to-date cash contributions to $1.06 billion, according to the company's results statement.

The budget had stood at $5.1 billion, and the resort had been due to open in the spring of 2027. Chief Executive Craig Billings told analysts in May that the timetable faced a modest delay, without naming a new month, industry outlets reported at the time.

This is a country that absorbs pressure and keeps functioning.

Billings said that about the UAE on the Aug. 4 call. He said he visited in June and found his flights full and day-to-day activity in Dubai healthy.

Macau Projects Break Ground as Las Vegas Earnings Slip

Wynn will start construction before the end of 2026 on the Enclave, a 432-suite hotel due to open in 2029, according to the company. Work on an event center and theater at Wynn Palace begins within weeks, for completion in 2028.

Operating revenue reached $1.86 billion in the second quarter of 2026, up $119.1 million from a year earlier, the company reported. Net income attributable to Wynn Resorts rose to $140.1 million from $66.2 million.

Adjusted property EBITDAR, a measure of property earnings before rent, interest, tax and depreciation, was $568.3 million. Wynn Palace added $201.5 million of that, up $44.3 million. Las Vegas fell $19.6 million to $215.2 million, in a market where visitor spending dropped $4.3 billion in 2025.

The joint venture holds the UAE's first commercial gaming license, awarded in October 2024 by the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, according to multiple industry reports. How the extra $600 million divides among the three partners could not be determined from the disclosure.

The Wynn Palace event center is the nearest of the markers Wynn set on Aug. 4, with the Enclave to follow before the end of 2026.

Image Source: Wynn Resorts