UAE: Mahzooz plans ‘new ventures’ as first lottery licence awarded to The Game

The team behind popular draw Mahzooz is planning “new ventures”, its managing operator Ewings said in a statement issued on Sunday. This comes after UAE announced The Game LLC as the country’s first licensed lottery operator.

“Although we have not been awarded the national lottery license in the UAE, we are, of course, planning exciting new ventures and we look forward to sharing more details soon,” read the statement by Ewings.

Both Mahzooz and Emirates Draw had paused their operations earlier this year after a directive from the government. Both companies had confirmed to Khaleej Times that they had completed the application process to be the UAE’s licensed operator.

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Ewings said they were informed about the “disappointing” news through “official channels”.

“Following the industry-wide pause mandated on January 1st, 2024, EWINGS was recently informed through official channels that it has not been awarded the UAE's first authorised lottery,” said the statement. “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.”

Protects consumers

In its announcement on Sunday, the GCGRA said the new regulatory framework protects consumers and ensures fairness and transparency of all commercial gaming activities, including lotteries. According to the website of The Game LLC., the company will offer a “diverse range” of lottery and other games “designed to cater to players’ variety of interests and financial preferences”.

The Ewings statement also shared what Mahzooz had achieved.