Craig Billings, previously Wynn Interactive CEO, was announced as Wynn Resorts CEO in November 2021, assuming his role on 1 February 2022 after the departure of former CEO Matt Maddox.
With the goal of developing and growing the brand worldwide, the company has previously announced a new US$2 billion integrated resort project that includes gambling offer in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In an interview to The Nevada Independent, Billings confirmed that “as it is a limited supply market., for the foreseeable future, we will be the only gambling in that area.”
“The leadership is very forward-thinking and Ras Al Khaimah is a very progressive and thoughtful place where they do things with intention. We’re building on a portion of a man-made island and the rest of it is greenfield. There is plenty of opportunities to develop beyond that,” Billings detailed.
With the UAE, especially Dubai (45 minutes to the south), known for its modern architecture, the company is working in a special way regarding the project’s design efforts. “The architectural design standards are extremely high in that part of the world. We don't take that lightly. A substantial portion of my time is spent with our design and development team right now on the programming as opposed to the exterior architecture,” Wynn’ CEO commented.
Aware of the importance of the project at a global level, Billings comments: “There has been tremendous modernization and progression in the UAE. The Dubai airport sees more than 80 million passengers a year. There's an amazing amount of inbound visitation from Europe, the Middle East, India and other surrounding countries. We believe there will be a robust cash-based business like we have here. We see it as a real extension of our brand.”
“We want to make sure that we get the offering correct. You have customers at adjacent hotels and you have customers from Dubai. We will have customers from all over the world,” Billings concluded.
Source: GMB / The Nevada Independent
