In the UAE, where gambling regulations are still unclear, the country's only licensed lottery operator, Momentum, has quietly launched two fully-featured online gaming platforms—TrueWin and Dream Island. These platforms offer services including live dealers, roulette, poker, slot machines, and betting on various sports such as football, basketball, and cricket, placing this state-owned enterprise at a rapidly developing and closely scrutinized focal point in the UAE's digital entertainment sector.
Platforms launched, operating in a regulatory "gray area"
Although Momentum is the only entity legally providing games through "UAE Lottery," the newly launched TrueWin and Dream Island websites do not display licensing information from the "General Commercial Gambling Regulatory Authority" established in September 2023. This places their operations in an interesting "gray area." Did you notice that their domain registrations even predate the establishment of the regulatory body: TrueWin.ae was registered in March 2023, while Dream Island's domain was registered back in 2020, indicating that preparations related to these platforms began well before the online gambling regulatory framework was in place.
Market expansion was anticipated, in sync with overall development
Earlier this year, Momentum's intent to enter online casinos and sports betting became apparent when the company publicly recruited a commercial director for its upcoming digital gaming brands. This business move is in sync with the pace of development in the UAE's gambling industry. Currently, the UAE has approved a multi-billion dollar integrated resort project (Wynn Resorts development), and GCGRA has also issued licenses to several suppliers including Aristocrat, Light & Wonder, and IGT. Industry reports speculate that the regulatory body may emulate the physical casino model, issuing one B2C online gambling license per emirate in the future.
The potential market is huge, and regulatory direction is key
According to industry analysis, if regulated properly, the UAE's gambling market could potentially generate annual revenues of about $6.6 billion, which is no small figure, equivalent to about 1.3% of its GDP, and could even surpass mature markets like Singapore. Earlier this month, Kevin Mullally, the first CEO of GCGRA, stepped down, a leadership change occurring at a critical time in the industry's development. For those interested in global emerging market dynamics, timely access to in-depth analysis of such regulatory and market evolutions is crucial, and can be maintained through professional information platforms like PASA's official website. Currently, all signs indicate that the UAE's gambling industry is on the eve of an exciting transformation.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders," a gambling industry news channel:https://t.me/pasa_news
Original deep gambling channel:https://t.me/gamblingdeep
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PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
