The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is continuing to build the operational framework for its burgeoning regulated gaming market. The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), established in 2023 to oversee gambling, national lottery, and commercial gaming, has recently awarded several new vendor licenses. In parallel, the nation’s lottery operator has secured crucial geolocation services, marking concrete steps towards market launch.

This week, the GCGRA awarded additional commercial gaming vendor licenses. Among the recipients was Austrian-based Novomatic, which received a license on April 10, 2025, authorising it to provide land-based gaming services within the UAE. Novomatic has stated, as reported by iGaming Times, that it aims to be a “reliable partner for licensed operators” in the UAE, with its gaming solutions designed to deliver “exceptional performance” and uphold the “high standards and quality” international players expect from land-based facilities worldwide.

Kentucky-based EQL Games was also granted a gaming-related vendor licence by the GCGRA on April 10, 2025. EQL Games, which focuses on lottery-related products, intends to offer “a suite of high-end gaming products in the UAE on any regulated gaming platform,” aiming to bring “innovative, secure and responsible lottery solutions to markets worldwide,” as stated by the company and reported by iGaming Times. North American provider Xpoint, a geolocation services and security provider, also received a vendor licence from the GCGRA this week.

Geolocation Partnership for UAE Lottery

In a related development announced in a release on April 7, 2025, as reported by iGaming Times, the UAE’s national lottery operator, The Game LLC, has partnered with Xpoint to act as its geolocation vendor. The Game LLC was previously awarded the UAE’s sole national lottery license by the GCGRA in June 2024.

Xpoint’s geolocation services are essential for ensuring that the UAE lottery product is accessible only within specific, designated areas of the country. The operator must adhere to stringent geolocation regulations, and Xpoint’s technology will be used to accurately block access in any excluded regions, including regulatorily-mandated exclusion zones within the UAE. Xpoint stated, as reported by iGaming Times from their release, that this collaboration “supports The Game’s commitment to providing a secure and compliant lottery experience nationwide.” The Game LLC’s director of lottery operations also commented on the partnership, as reported by iGaming Times, highlighting that engaging with Xpoint ensures the UAE Lottery meets the country’s “stringent data requirements” by utilising a private cloud to keep “all data remains on UAE soil,” aligning with local regulations and ensuring the “highest level of data security.”

Progress Towards Land-Based Launch

These vendor licenses and operational partnerships signify continued progress in the development of the UAE’s broader commercial gaming market under the GCGRA’s oversight. The regulator had previously issued the nation’s first commercial land-based gaming license to Wynn Resorts. The UAE is expected to “shortly launch” commercial land-based gambling operations. Development of Wynn’s Al Marjan Island integrated resort is progressing, with funding completion secured in February 2025 through a $2.4 billion agreement with a global syndicate of lenders. The total expected cost for the Wynn Al Marjan Island development is approximately $5.10 billion. According to a statement from Wynn Resorts in February 2025, 64% of the structural concrete for the main resort tower had been completed at that time.

In conclusion, the awarding of vendor licenses to key suppliers like Novomatic and EQL Games, alongside the national lottery operator’s strategic partnership with Xpoint for geolocation, represents concrete steps in building the necessary technical and operational infrastructure for the UAE’s regulated gaming and lottery markets. These developments occur as the country moves closer to the anticipated launch of land-based commercial gambling.