Yesterday (28 July) the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) handed the licence to run the UAE Lottery to The Game LLC.
This came as a surprise considering two established lottery operators in Emirates Draw and Mahzooz were competing for the licence, while The Game has not launched any products. Both companies suspended operations from 1 January this year before submitting applications.
While Emirates Draw has not yet commented publicly on the decision, Mahzooz parent Ewings says it is now planning “exciting new ventures”, promising more details soon.
“We take this opportunity to thank our customers for their patience and unwavering trust in Mazhooz and we invite them to closely follow our upcoming news.”
‘Disappointing decision’ in UAE lottery licence race
After issuing an invitation to apply to prospective lottery licensees in late December, companies had to submit their bids early in January. In February Ewings head of communications Suzan Kazzi told local media the operator hoped for a decision by the end of Q1. However it took until July for the GCGRA to select The Game.
During this suspension Ewings focused on developing its products and internal systems to become the UAE Lottery operator, retaining all staff.
It also worked on customer research, speaking to customers to better tailor Mahzooz for consumers and fielded a lot of questions on when it would relaunch, a spokesperson told iGB.
“While this delayed decision is indeed disappointing, especially that we kept our workforce at full capacity for the past 7 months in anticipation of a positive decision, we respect the selection process and the government’s commitment to setting standards within the industry,” it said.
Ewings talks up Mahzooz’s impact
Mahzooz originally launched in 2020 as Emirates Loto, offering collectable tickets featuring local landmarks, though paused operations just three months later.
It relaunched as Mahzooz in 2021, and since then has run 161 live draws, creating 66 millionaires and awarding over AED500m (£106m/€126m/$136m) to more than two million players.
“Simultaneously, Mahzooz has also been a force for good in the UAE, contributing to several good causes in healthcare, education, the environment and more, and contributing significantly to various charitable causes,” the operator added.
Currently there is no timescale for The Game launching the UAE Lottery. The GCGRA said it was unable to comment beyond the original announcement issued yesterday.