Wynn Al Marjan Island is the UAE’s first integrated casino resort, a $5.1 billion project rising on Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah. When it opens in Spring 2027 it will be Wynn’s first beachfront property anywhere in the world, the first Wynn in the Middle East and the only licensed commercial gaming venue in the Emirates.
This is the article we keep updating as the project moves forward. Bookmark it. Last refreshed April 2026 with the latest construction milestones, leadership changes, gaming licence updates and the full set of guides we have published on the resort.
Quick snapshot:
- Opening: Spring 2027
- Investment: $5.1 billion
- Height: 352 metres, 70 storeys, the tallest structure in RAK
- Total keys: 1,530
- Marina: 98 berths
- Convention center: 7,708 sqm
- Pools: 12 pools
- Shopping parterre: 12,000 sqm
- Dining: 22 restaurants, bars and lounges
- Casino: 225,000 sq ft gaming floor, UAE’s first commercial gaming licence
- Jobs: 2,750+ hires in 2026, 4,000+ long-term roles
- Location: Al Marjan Island, Ras Al Khaimah, 45 minutes from Dubai
The Resort in One Paragraph
Wynn Al Marjan Island is a 60-hectare beachfront resort with a 420-metre private beach, 12 swimming pools, a deep-water marina, a theatre, event spaces, a luxury retail village and a 225,000 square foot gaming floor. Every number on that list is the largest of its kind currently under construction in the UAE. It is also the only Wynn property in the brand’s portfolio sitting directly on a beach – even the flagship Wynn Las Vegas is landlocked.
Construction Timeline and Milestones
Construction broke ground in 2022 and the project has hit every major milestone on schedule. The resort topped out in December 2025 at 283 metres of structural concrete across 70 storeys, 27 months after foundation works began.
Key construction numbers so far:
- 439,000 cubic metres of concrete poured
- 20,744 façade panels installed, 79% complete
- 99% low-rise structural completion
- 1,504 of 1,530 rooms structurally complete
- 18,000+ construction jobs created to date
The final spire installation is scheduled for later in 2026, taking the building to its full 352-metre height. Fit-out of guest rooms, restaurants and the casino floor is running in parallel. Wynn has confirmed a Spring 2027 guest-welcome target.
WOW-RAK Expert Tip: The tower overtakes RAK’s current tallest building by more than 100 metres. If you drive along Sheikh Mohammed bin Salem Road today you can already see the structure from the E311 – it is impossible to miss and will redefine the RAK skyline.
The Accommodation Breakdown – 1,530 Keys
The 1,530-key inventory splits cleanly into two distinct products.
Resort accommodations – 1,217 keys
These are the main tower rooms and suites, running from entry-level Resort King rooms up to panoramic Gulf-view suites. This is where most guests will stay and it is what the pricing guide on WOW-RAK covers in detail.
Enclave accommodations – 313 keys
The Enclave is a separate ultra-luxury product within the resort, Wynn’s answer to the “hotel within a hotel” concept that rooms guests alongside the highest-spending casino players. It includes:
- 2 Royal Apartments
- 4 Garden Townhomes
- 10 Marina Estates
- 297 Enclave Suites
We have a full guide to the Enclave and another to room types and estimated pricing on WOW-RAK.
Dining, Lifestyle and Entertainment
Wynn has confirmed 22 restaurants, bars and lounges on the property – the largest F&B programme of any resort currently under construction in the UAE. Three venues have been named publicly so far:
- An Alain Ducasse steakhouse – the Michelin-stacked French chef’s first Middle East beachfront property
- Delilah – the Wynn Las Vegas supper club, making its international debut
- A signature Lebanese restaurant
The remaining 19 concepts will be revealed closer to opening. The property will also host international culinary events through Wynn’s partnership with Netflix’s Chef’s Table series, starting with a flagship three-day event in September 2026.
For the full dining line-up as it stands today, see the WOW-RAK Wynn restaurants guide.
The Casino and UAE Gaming Regulations
Wynn Al Marjan Island will operate the first legal commercial casino in the UAE. Wynn Resorts received the country’s first commercial gaming operator licence from the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) on October 4, 2024 – a moment that changed the direction of UAE tourism overnight.
The gaming floor covers 225,000 square feet, making it larger than the gaming floor at Wynn Las Vegas. CEO Craig Billings has publicly said the sizing is deliberate: “You don’t want to underbuild the casino in a market where you will be the sole operator for a time.”
How the UAE legalised gaming
The UAE removed gambling from the federal Civil Transactions Law in 2024, creating the legal space for the GCGRA to issue commercial gaming licences. The regulator oversees casinos, online gaming and lotteries across all seven emirates. Wynn remains the only licensed land-based casino operator. For the full explainer on how the GCGRA works, which games are permitted, age limits and what happens if you use unlicensed sites, see the WOW-RAK UAE gaming regulations guide.
The market opportunity
Industry analysts project Wynn Al Marjan Island will position the UAE as the fourth major gaming market in the world behind Macau, Las Vegas and Singapore. The property sits within an 8-hour flight radius of 96% of the world’s population – a catchment unmatched by any other major integrated resort on earth. For context, Macau’s catchment within the same flight radius is roughly 70%.
WOW-RAK Expert Tip: The gaming floor will be physically separated from family and dining areas of the resort. Guests who never want to see a slot machine will not have to. Wynn has explicitly designed for the UAE cultural context.
Leadership Team
Wynn has assembled an experienced team to run the property.
Craig Billings is CEO of Wynn Resorts worldwide and has been the driving force behind the RAK project since its announcement.
Thomas Schoen was appointed President of Wynn Al Marjan Island in April 2023. Schoen brings 30+ years of luxury hospitality leadership across Europe, the UK and Africa, with prior roles at Starwood, Marriott (Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien, St Regis, W Hotels) and most recently as Complex General Manager at Pine Cliffs Resort – Luxury Collection in Portugal, where he oversaw its renovation and pre-opening. On his appointment Schoen said: “I am delighted to lead the operations of Wynn Al Marjan Island and feel privileged to be part of such a significant new chapter for the group.”
Max Tappeiner leads the opening programme and has described the ambition openly: position Wynn Al Marjan Island as the iconic destination in the Middle East North Africa region.
Jobs and Economic Impact
Wynn is hiring 2,750 people in 2026 alone across gaming, food and beverage, hospitality, housekeeping, security, facilities and corporate functions. Long-term employment will exceed 4,000 roles once the resort is fully operational.
Wynn also built Wynn Oasis – a dedicated luxury residential community for resort employees with accommodation, dining, retail, fitness and community amenities. It is one of the largest employee housing investments in UAE hospitality history.
Application portals, priority hiring windows and the breakdown of 2026 roles are covered in the WOW-RAK Wynn jobs guide.
A WOW-RAK reader survey of 500+ RAK residents found 56% believe the project will substantially boost tourism revenue and employment, 60% expect notable increases in local real estate prices, 34% expressed concerns about social impacts like gambling addiction and 28% prioritised preserving local cultural integrity. The data reflects a community that is broadly positive but watching carefully.
The Wynn Bridge and RAK Infrastructure
Wynn is not just building a resort – it is rewiring how people reach Al Marjan Island. The 548-metre Wynn Bridge, due late 2026, will connect the island directly to the E311 and E611 highways via the new Wynn Boulevard. Travel time from Dubai drops to roughly 45 minutes.
RAK has paralleled this with major public infrastructure works: Sheikh Mohammed bin Salem Road expansion, E311 widening, a new VVIP terminal and private jet hangar at RAK International Airport targeted for Q1 2027 and 6,000+ trees planted along Wynn Boulevard as part of the landscape programme.
For the full bridge explainer – construction progress, public access, what it means for existing roads – see the WOW-RAK Wynn Bridge guide.
Location – Al Marjan Island
Al Marjan Island is a cluster of four coral-shaped artificial islands off RAK’s southwestern coast, 45 minutes from Dubai International Airport and 15 minutes from RAK International. It is already RAK’s highest-profile waterfront destination and home to resorts including Rixos, DoubleTree, Accor and the upcoming JW Marriott Marquis.
Wynn sits on a dedicated parcel with 420 metres of private beachfront and its own marina. For the broader Al Marjan Island story – beaches, hotels, restaurants, things to do and how to get there – see the WOW-RAK Al Marjan Island complete guide.
About Wynn Resorts
Wynn Resorts is an S&P 500 company founded by Steve Wynn and now led by CEO Craig Billings. It operates Wynn Las Vegas and Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace in Cotai, and Encore Boston Harbor. The group has consistently won more Forbes Five-Star awards than any other hotel or casino company in the world.
Wynn Al Marjan Island will be the group’s fifth integrated resort globally and its first outside the United States and China.
How Wynn Al Marjan Island Compares
For a side-by-side comparison with Atlantis The Royal, One&Only One Za’abeel, Bulgari Dubai and other top UAE luxury resorts – where Wynn wins, where the competition wins and what the verdict looks like today – see the WOW-RAK Wynn vs UAE luxury resorts guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wynn has confirmed Spring 2027 as the guest welcome target. The building topped out in December 2025 and fit-out is progressing on schedule. Booking is expected to open late 2026.
Yes. Wynn Resorts received the UAE’s first commercial gaming operator licence from the GCGRA on October 4, 2024. Wynn will be the only licensed land-based casino in the country when it opens.
225,000 square feet – larger than Wynn Las Vegas. It will be the largest integrated gaming floor in the Middle East.
1,530 total keys split across 1,217 resort rooms and suites and 313 ultra-luxury Enclave accommodations including 2 Royal Apartments, 4 Garden Townhomes and 10 Marina Estates.
$5.1 billion.
Roughly 45 minutes by car once the Wynn Bridge opens in late 2026. Today it is about an hour depending on traffic.
Craig Billings is CEO of Wynn Resorts globally. Thomas Schoen is President of Wynn Al Marjan Island. Max Tappeiner leads the opening programme.
Yes, subject to GCGRA rules on age, identification and responsible gaming. Full details are in the UAE gaming regulations guide.
Yes. The casino is physically separated from family, beach and dining zones. Guests can experience the full resort without entering the gaming floor.
2,750+ in 2026 and 4,000+ long-term roles across gaming, F&B, hospitality and corporate functions.
Sum Up
Wynn Al Marjan Island is the single largest tourism project in the UAE’s pipeline and the most consequential hospitality development in RAK’s history. Every new milestone – topping out, the bridge opening, restaurant announcements, hiring waves – reshapes what visiting Ras Al Khaimah will look like from 2027 onwards.
We will keep this guide updated as each milestone lands. If you want the detail on a specific topic – dining, rooms and pricing, jobs, gaming rules, the bridge, the Enclave, the Chef’s Table partnership or how Wynn stacks up against other UAE luxury resorts – each of those guides is linked throughout this article.
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