Fennica Gaming has received a Gaming Related Vendor Licence from the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA).
The United Arab Emirates gambling regulator’s licences were part of discussions at the recent SBC Digital – Middle East and Africa 2025 event, which noted the potential of the UAE licence being “passported” to neighbouring Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
The Gaming Related Vendor Licence allows Fennica Gaming to provide licensed operators in the regulated UAE casino market with its casino titles once it goes live.
“Receiving the Gaming Related Vendor License from the GCGRA is a significant step for Fennica Gaming as we continue to grow our global presence,” commented Timo Kiiskinen, Managing Director of Fennica Gaming.
“The UAE represents a new dynamic market and for us a possibility to enter a new continent and new markets. We are excited to contribute to the development of its regulated gaming sector with our trusted and innovative solutions.”
Fennica Gaming has joined the likes of Aristocrat, Smartplay, PayBy, Xpoint, EQL Games, Novomatic, IGT, Scientific Games and Random State as the tenth company to be awarded a Gaming-Related Vendor Licence from the GCGRA. However, only two companies have been handed an operator’s licence so far.
In July last year, The Game was awarded a Lottery Licence to be the operator of the UAE lottery, while in October 2024, a Land-Based Gaming Facilities Licence was given to Wynn Resorts for its joint venture Wynn Al Marjan Island resort in Ras Al Khaimah with Marjan and RAK Hospitality Holding, which is expected to open in 2027.
A Memorandum of Understanding is also in place between the GCGRA and the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement to strengthen the commercial gaming industry with an emphasis on cybersecurity, consumer protection and regulatory collaboration.
Future licence possibilities
During a panel at the recent SBC Digital – Middle East and Africa 2025 two-day webinar event, gaming in the Middle East was a topic of discussion.
Jad Gharios, Chair of BetArabia; Dany Eid, Founder of BetArabia; and Joseph Borg, Partner at WH Partners, all featured on a panel titled ‘A New Era for Gaming in the Middle East’, which was moderated by SBC Advisory Partners’ Founder & Managing Director, Anton Kaszubowski.
Borg called the UAE’s gambling framework and regulator a “momentous shift in the gaming industry” for the region, noting that the country’s current legislation could open doors for the “passporting” of the UAE licence to other neighbouring GCC countries.
“Something very interesting that you can find in the law is, tied to what you mentioned about the greater part of the region, so outside of the UAE, is that the law already caters for passporting of the license across GCC countries. I believe that that is in itself, although it means nothing today, it already sheds some light on what the plans are for the future.
“When we talk of GCC, we’re talking about the other countries in the region – Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman. Technically, they’re already planning that a license from the UAE could possibly be passported to other GCC countries, and I think that in itself is extremely interesting.”