Published: 22 March 2022
Last updated: 4 March 2024
There is talk that the Oasis Casino in the West Bank, once considered the largest gambling hall in the Middle East, may reopen after its short-lived original opening
IN SEPTEMBER 1998, the city of Jericho was in for an unusual event. Only four years after the advent of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Palestinians witnessed the opening of the Oasis Casino, the largest gambling hall in the Middle East at the time.
The casino was inaugurated in partnership with Palestinian figures and Austrian-Israeli businessman Martin Schlaff. The project was the largest investment project in the West Bank since the Oslo Accord and reflected the joint relations between the PA and Israel back then.
The casino had a bar, restaurant, entertainment halls and a gambling hall for major gamblers who placed their wagers amid strict security measures by the then-emerging Palestinian security services.
Two years after its inauguration and with the outbreak of the second intifada in 2000, the Oasis Casino — which had a bad reputation among Palestinians who expressed their objection to it — closed its doors after the Israeli security services prevented Israelis from entering Jericho.
Today, 21 years later, the Oasis Casino is back in the limelight following a report by Israeli Channel 12 that the PA has requested the Israeli government reopen and operate the casino and allow Israelis to visit it.
FULL STORY Jericho’s casino may reopen after 21 years (Al-Monitor)
Photo: A security guard opens the main entrance to the Oasis Casino in 2001 (David Silverman/Newsmakers)
