Israel's Prime Minister Eyes Country's First Casino

The prime minister of Israel is looking at a casino in the city of Eliat, asking fellow members of the government to ascertain whether it would help the area’s economy.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wants to turn the city into the Las Vegas of the Red Sea, according to a report from the Guardian. It would be the country’s first casino. According to the report, Las Vegas Sands owner Sheldon Adelson, a well-known backer of Netanyahu, expressed interest in the 1990s about a casino in Israel. However, casino gambling was opposed by religious and security authorities.

Gambling does exist near Eliat, as the city is home to gambling cruises that take people into international waters in order to play. Illegal gambling is also an issue in the city.

Plans for casino gambling in Eliat could involve licensing existing hotels to run casino games, or allowing a new casino-resort complex to be built.

Yariv Levin, the tourism minister, is already on board for casino gambling.

“As tourism minister, I support this fully," he said. "I have no doubt that the way to help Eilat economically and to increase the number of tourists is by means of a casino. I am coordinating a detailed inquiry into this matter and when it is concluded, I will present the conclusions to the prime minister and based on that, we will make decisions.”

Despite historically being against casino gambling, Israel has been a hub for online gambling innovation. 888 Holdings was founded by the Israel-based Ben-Yitzhak and Shaked families.

A few years ago, an Israeli court said that online poker sites can’t be blocked by the government.

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