Israel casinos could bring both pain and gain, according to gov’t report

A report prepared for Israel’s finance ministry says the government’s plan to authorize legal casino gambling will offer both pain and gain.

Last week, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu signed off on a Tourism Ministry study of building up to four casinos in the Red Sea resort town of Eilat. On Monday, Haaretz reported on a cost/benefit analysis prepared for the Finance Ministry last December that may have influenced Netanyahu’s decision.

First, the benefits. The document says casinos in Eilat would attract more international tourists, especially given Eilat’s reputation for being a pricier visit than comparable resorts in neighboring Arab countries. The casinos are expected to boost Eilat’s annual international tourist arrival numbers by 240k, while overnight stays at Eilat’s hotels would rise 10% to 230k per year.

The casinos could also attract Israelis who would otherwise have to travel to other countries in order to access casinos, but this assumes that Eilat’s casinos won’t be restricted to holders of international passports, a matter that has yet to be decided.