Israel and casinos
For many years, Israel had built high-risk ships cruising near Cyprus, full of Israelis who could not legally play in their country. At one point there were 7 boats of this type. In 2005, all boats were classified as illegal by the Israeli authorities. They were ambushed and closed during the night. Israel has never had legal casinos, but for many years the authorities have been trying to legalize casinos in tourist areas such as Eilat. Not long ago, the Israeli state government signed an agreement to install 12 acres of land on the north coast of Eilat for the development of Israel’s first gaming arena. For the play area also a conference center, a catchment area and several hotels were planned. At the time, the Prime Minister had stated that the government’s illegal gambling cost enormous losses and that this project would give Eilat tremendous economic momentum, with tourism greatly increasing. The Eilat gaming area has not developed since the last half of 2013.
The world’s most profitable casino was opened in 1998 in the Palestinian Territories. In Jericho, with the support of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, a $ 150-million casino hotel, the Oasis Hotel Casino Resort, was built. from the largest casino operator in the world, Casinos Austria International. The Oasis Hotel Casino Resort Casino has quickly become the most lucrative casino in the world. Thousands of Israelis rush daily from the border to the table with 120 and 300 slot machines. Due to the current situation in the Middle East and the closure of the area around Jericho for Israeli citizens and tourists, the Oasis Hotel Casino Resort had to cease its casino activities in October 2000. The casino remained fully equipped and could be reopened for many years in anticipation of developments in the political situation in the area.
Lebanon – Casino of Lebanon
Casino of Lebanon
The Lebanese casino in Lebanon, one of the most famous casinos in the Middle East, remained open after many years of civil war. This is a highly successful operation by London Clubs International, which in turn owns the largest casino company in the world, Caesars Entertainment.
When Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq, the casinos worked very openly in the 1980s, mainly in the capital, Baghdad. Baghdad’s most famous casino, popular with politicians, movie stars and other dignitaries at the time, was the Palm Beach Hotel. Shortly after the fall of Saddam Hussein, casinos began to open in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region. In September 2007, a Russian company opened a casino in the city of Suleimaniya on the border with Iran. In the middle of 2013 more and more casinos opened their doors in the Kurdish region. In this oil-rich province and a relatively peaceful part of Iraq, it is planned to create more large casino complexes.
Although casinos and all kinds of gambling in neighboring Iran were completely banned, they flourished in the 1970s under the Iranian Shah as the petrodollars flooded the gaming tables. immediate closure of all Iranian casinos.