Listed attractions of Eilat, Israel’s southernmost city, are the enchanting underwater world of the Red Sea Coral Reefs, the tranquility of the surrounding desert, the restaurants and the nightlife. The Israeli Cabinet is now to consider extending the city’s entertainment offering to include casinos. Eilat is the most popular holiday destination in Israel and there are several investors already keen to develop casinos there.

In its next session the Financial Cabinet will discuss the possibility of allowing Eilat to become the first place in Israel to have a casino. It is known that the Minister of Tourism is in favour of the idea as a new casino would be expected to attract over a million tourists each year and keep large sums of gambling money, that presently get spent in casinos outside the country, inside Israel. The creation of around 50,000 new jobs could be anticipated in a casino industry.

Shmuel Plato Sharon is one prospective investor in an Israeli casino. A former floating casino operator and a former member of the Knesset, he has partnered with the owner of the Princess Hotel in Eilat and Isle of Capri in a project to open a casino within the grounds of the Princess Hotel. The cost of the project is estimated at up to US$100 million. Other investors also are interested in casinos for Eilat, but before any such project can get off the drawing board a formal decision to allow casinos in Israel must be taken by the Cabinet. (E-11.28.05)

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