Officials from Wynn Resorts and MGM Resorts International have been closely watching the conflict unfolding in the Middle East after it spilled over into the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the Las Vegas-based companies are developing multibillion-dollar hotel and entertainment projects. 

The UAE is one of 14 Middle Eastern nations where the U.S. State Department urged Americans to depart immediately via commercial transportation “due to severe, escalating safety risks” following the weekend’s joint airstrikes on Iran by the U.S. and Israel.

After Saturday's attacks, Iranian forces launched a barrage of drones and missiles throughout the Middle East, two of which struck areas in Dubai, causing damage at several hotels and Dubai International Airport.

MGM Resorts spokesman Brian Ahern said the company does not currently have any American citizens working on the project. In an email, he said the company’s employees “are safe and sheltering in place, per guidance from authorities. We’re in close contact with them and having regular check-ins.”

A spokesman for Wynn Resorts told GGRAsia that it is “closely monitoring the situation” and that it has “plans in place to secure the safety” of the group’s employees in the UAE “should the situation necessitate.” Wynn did not say how many U.S. citizens it has in the UAE working on the development.

Former MGM Resorts Chairman and CEO Jim Murren, who is chairman of the UAE’s General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, which was established to introduce a regulatory framework for a national lottery and commercial gaming, did not respond to an email request for comment.

On Monday morning, the investment community expressed some concern about the potentially lucrative gaming market and the company’s development efforts. Shares of Wynn fell $4.75 on the Nasdaq National Market and closed at $103.44. MGM Resorts, which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange, saw its stock decline $1.14 to close at $35.72.

Wynn is building the $5.1 billion Wynn Al Marjan Island in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah on a man-made island 50 minutes from Dubai International Airport. The project, first announced in 2022, will have the UAE’s first legal casino when it opens in 2027. 

About three-quarters of the country’s residents adhere to Islam, which considers gambling to be a harmful activity. But the UAE’s leaders believe that bringing Las Vegas-style casino gaming to the Islamic nation will expand its tourism potential. 

The resort’s 70-floor hotel tower was topped off in December. The property will have 1,550 guest accommodations, including hotel rooms and suites, high-priced villas with beachfront access, 22 restaurants and lounges and retail and meeting spaces.

MGM is partnering with Wasl Asset Management Group in Dubai on a 25-acre non-gaming resort development on Jumeirah Beach, one of the emirate’s man-made islands. The $1.2 billion project, which is under construction, includes three hotel towers totaling 1,500 rooms and will be branded under the Aria, MGM Grand and Bellagio names. 

MGM Resort CEO Bill Hornbuckle has said a nearly 200,000-square-foot space is being created on the site that will house one of two amenities — either a casino or retail center. 

Two years ago, in the first extensive look at the UAE gaming potential, advisory firm CBRE Institutional Research said it could produce as much as $8.6 billion in annual gaming revenue, nearly equal to the Strip’s overall 2025 total. Currently, the UAE’s tourist base is largely from Europe and Asia. It’s thought that having casino-resorts operated by U.S-based companies would expand the customer audience. 

Two Dubai landmarks were damaged slightly in the attack, according to the BBC. On the Palm Jumeirah, Dubai's luxury man-made archipelago, the five-star Fairmont The Palm hotel was struck by a large explosion. Debris from an intercepted drone resulted in a “minor fire” on the outer facade of the five-star Burj Al Arab hotel, authorities have said.

In addition to the UAE, the State Department said U.S. citizens in Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen were advised to leave those countries.