VOA新闻杂志2022--阿联酋会允许赌博吗?

Will Gambling¹ be Permitted in the UAE?

International casino owners are setting their sights on a new area: The United Arab Emirates

Ras Al Khaimah, one of the smaller and lesser-known of the seven emirates, said earlier this year that it planned to make laws about gaming in some resorts. On the same day, Las Vegas casino giant Wynn Resorts said it would build a resort approved for gaming, or gambling, on a man-made island.

The announcements could mark an important moment for the Gulf², a part of the Middle East that has traditionally had stricter Islamic rules. Gambling has long been off-limits.

Currently³, those seeking to gamble⁴ go to the likes of Lebanon's Casino du Liban or some Egyptian hotels.

Yet times may be changing.

Two people with knowledge of the issue told Reuters that gambling in some form would be permitted in the UAE. But, they added, it would be up to each emirate to decide whether and how to make rules about it - similar to how Sharjah does not permit alcohol sales unlike other emirates. They also said the policy change would happen soon, without providing an exact date.

Casino and hotel companies that have moved into the UAE could benefit should Ras Al Khaimah make the way for other emirates to follow.

Caesars Palace, which opened in Dubai in 2018 and is the only one of American giant Caesars Entertainment resorts without a casino, told Reuters that it would examine any possibility of offering gambling in Dubai.

About 10 km along Dubai's coast from the Caesars resort, digging has begun on another area to support a new resort by Las Vegas gambling company MGM Resorts International.

When asked whether it would consider introducing gaming at the resort, MGM said "gaming has not been part of the planning and there are no updates to our plans."

The UAE government media office, as well as the media offices of the emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, did not answer requests for comment on Ras Al Khaimah's plan to permit gambling and whether they planned to make similar changes.

Competition

The possibility of gambling plays out against a situation of strong competition in the Gulf, with the UAE competing with Saudi Arabia to become a popular destination in a part of the world moving away from oil.

The UAE, where foreigners make up 90 percent of the population, has already moved in other areas to keep first mover advantage over Saudi Arabia.

The Emirates changed to a Saturday-Sunday weekend this year to move closer to international markets. A Friday-Saturday weekend is common in many Muslim nations.

In the past 18 months, the UAE has made legal changes, including decriminalizing alcohol use and situations in which unmarried people live together.

The country has also found ways to offer some games of chance.

In 2020, it started a national "Loto." Players bought a "collectable" picture of a UAE scene, such as the Burj al Arab hotel, for $9.50. The buyers were entered into a draw. Now, players seeking to enter the draw buy a bottle of water to be given to a charity to win a top prize of 10 million dirhams.

The game is considered acceptable⁵ under Islamic law because there was an "exchange of value" in the purchase of the collectable or bottle.

Unclear path

Ras Al Khaimah stressed that its laws, being developed by the recently created Department of Entertainment and Gaming Regulation, would push for responsible gaming.

The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority did not answer Reuters questions about how its plans would work alongside⁶ the federal laws against gambling.

Vitaly Umansky, a gambling industry expert at the Sanford C Bernstein investment company in Hong Kong, suggested that gaming in Ras Al Khaimah would likely be limited to foreigners.

Words in This Story

casino – n. a building or room used for gambling

resort – n. a place designed to provide entertainment and accommodation to vacationers

gamble – v. to play a game for money or property

strict -- adj. severe in discipline; inflexibly⁷ maintained or adhered⁸ to

benefit – v. to be useful or profitable⁹ to

advantage -- n. superiority¹⁰ of position or condition

decriminalize – v. to repeal a strict ban on something while still keeping it under some kind of regulation

1 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

4 gamble   

n.冒险；v.赌博，孤注一掷

参考例句：

• Setting up this business was a bit of a gamble.开办这样的公司有点冒险。
• Drive carefully and don't gamble with your life.小心驾驶，别拿你的生命冒险。

5 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。

6 alongside   

adv.在旁边；prep.和...在一起，在...旁边

参考例句：

• There was a butcher's shop alongside the theatre.剧院旁边有一家肉店。
• Alongside of him stood his uncle.他的身旁站着他叔叔。

7 inflexibly   

adv.不屈曲地，不屈地

参考例句：

• These are very dynamic people, but they manifest inflexibly in relating to the world. 这是一些很有力量的人，但他们在与这个世界的联系中表现地过于强硬而难于妥协。 来自互联网

8 adhered   

黏附( adhere的过去式和过去分词 )； 附着； 坚持； 支持

参考例句：

• He resolutely adhered to what he had said at the meeting. 他坚持他在会上所说的话。
• The two surfaces adhered, and we couldn't get them apart. 这两个表面粘着，我们无法将它们分开。

9 profitable   

adj.有益的，能带来利益的，有利可图的

参考例句：

• That business became profitable last year.那项生意去年变得很赚钱。
• The convention business is very profitable for the hotel industry.承办会议业务能给旅馆业带来很高的利润。

10 superiority   

n.优越性，优势

参考例句：

• We believe in the superiority of this method over that one.我们相信这种方法比那种方法优越。
• His air of calm superiority annoyed her intensely.他不动声色的优越感让她极其烦恼。