Israel reportedly looking at opening country's first legal casino

[zenitzz]

Binyamin Netanyahu is said to have asked ministers to examine licensing hotels or building casino in Red Sea resort of Eliat

Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, is said to have asked two senior ministers to examine the feasibility of opening the country’s first legal casino in the coastal city of Eilat in an attempt to transform the tourist resort into the Las Vegas of the Red Sea.

The proposal, reported on Israeli television, resurrects a long-mooted and controversial plan to legalise casino gambling, which has historically been resisted by the religious and security authorities.

In the 1990s, Netanyahu’s long-time backer Sheldon Adelson, a casino magnate, was blocked after expressing an interest in opening a casino in Israel.

Gambling in Israel has a complex status. Israelis can bet on certain activities but not others, with Eilat already home to gambling cruises that take punters into international waters.

Another alternative is to cross the border to visit casino hotels in Egypt’s Red Sea resorts, although that has become less popular as the Sinai peninsula has been destabilised by increasing violence.

Illicit gambling is also available inside Israel, with the most recent illegal casino being discovered this summer in a disused bomb shelter.

Yariv Levin, the tourism minister, appeared to confirm reports of the new proposal being pushed by Netanyahu – originally revealed by Israel’s Channel 10 – by saying that he fully supported the idea.

 read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/25/israel-first-legal-casino-gambling-binyamin-netanyahu-eliat-reports

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[TheBlueEyedBitcoinDragon]

Gambling is a great way to make money. Drinks, shows, cardgames, spinning things. They are a money vacuum, and so long as the government gets its cut, I'm pretty sure that it would have an open mind. I'm sure Israel will have a nice casino resort soon.

[Swordsoffreedom]

If the data can back that Israelis gamble it would make sense to put a Casino there.
Plus the Casino makes sense from the perspective its easier to get the money and use it elsewhere, that said making it the Las Vegas of the Red Sea makes me think of all the blood if it went through.

[SerenaL]

I think it is silly to restrict casinos in the first place. Israel has some good tourist destinations and a few casinos would be fitting.

[bryant.coleman]

I think it is silly to restrict casinos in the first place. Israel has some good tourist destinations and a few casinos would be fitting.

Israel is not a major tourist destination, unlike France or Thailand. And most of the tourists arrive in Israel, to visit the historical sites (such as the Temple Mount and the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum) or religious institutions. I don't think that a lot many of them will be interested in gambling and other casino activities.