The budding iGaming market in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is entering an intriguing phase of international collaborations.
The UAE has been issuing licenses and rolling out new products. The excitement around approvals for EQL Games and Random State highlights the UAE’s desire to embrace iGaming.
European companies, including from the United Kingdom (UK), will undoubtedly be determined to explore this exciting opening in the Middle East.
The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) has been tasked with overseeing the sector in the UAE and has already made significant strides.
Respected lottery technology company EQL Games recently received a Gaming-Related Vendor license from the GCGRA. This approval allows EQL to offer its full suite of gaming products in the UAE, especially digital lottery.
Chief Executive Officer Brad Cummings believes the license is a significant step in its growth plans. He also added that EQL will continue to deliver innovative, secure and responsible gaming solutions.
EQL Games subsequently announced a multi-year content partnership with The Game LLC. The latter is the first and only licensed UAE lottery platform.
Under the terms of the partnership, EQL will supply digital lottery content from its iLottery Marketplace, which will power the UAE lottery market.
The UAE’s momentum is not stopping after two new games, Marble Run and Lucky Lagoon, recently entered the market. Random State developed both games. They are rich in innovation and reflect the UAE’s readiness to explore beyond the usual lottery formats.
Marble Run is a fun race game with multipliers and increasing jackpots. Meanwhile, Lucky Lagoon is a treasure hunt that takes place underwater, featuring 23 prize tiers.
Random State acquired their GCGRA license in May, authorising them to distribute their games and digital lottery solutions across the UAE.
The firm traditionally operates in Europe and North America. The company is renowned for merging instant-win mechanics with a story-driven adventure that demands skill. Their games are built for a tech-savvy audience eager for new entertainment avenues.
The collaboration between The Game LLC, EQL Games and Random State is a commercial win for the UAE. It shows shows that the GCGRA is open to working with experienced firms from other jurisdictions.
UK companies that specialise in the same areas could benefit from this opportunity. The European and US markets are saturated, but the UAE is new to the scene and has a clean slate. There are no legacy systems or outdated regulations.
This gives room for modern, mobile-first and highly responsible platforms to shine.
For example, the UAE Lottery will prioritise responsible gaming even if its primary duty is to entertain. Crucially, they want to secure public trust before expanding the player base.
Speed and reliability will prove crucial. The Game LLC hailed EQL’s ability to deliver world-class content within a short time as a reason for choosing to partner with them.
Many other countries across the Middle East may follow this iGaming model as the activity continues to gather popularity in the region. Now that the GCGRA has a defined licensing system in place, more providers and partners will likely jump on the bandwagon in the next few months.
Lottery and digital instant-win products are leading the way. However, they could be laying the foundations for bigger developments in the UAE iGaming sector, including online casinos.
Players can already sign-up for an account at an online casino in Dubai, but the platform operates under licence from authorities located in other jurisdictions. These websites will soon be following the UAE’s rules.
Having a multi-functional vendor such as Random State that can deliver certified RNGs and advanced player account management (PAM) to turnkey platforms means the GCGRA is ready for more verticals.
The GCGRA has curated a live, regulated and agile market for players with know-how in compliance, content and platform architecture.
The UAE allowed the iGaming industry to develop because it plans to become a global leader in regulated gaming, despite other markets having the advantage of an early start. Over the coming years, the UAE wants to help shape the future of gaming across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
If the early success of EQL and Random State is anything to go by, the UAE’s vision for a modern, secure and responsible gaming space is manifesting, and the best European firms will play a big part in that story.
