Israel's Tourism minister, retired police Major-General Yitzhak Aharonovitch, has been pressing for legalised casinos to boost Israel's flagging tourism industry, to prevent residents leaving the country to gamble, and to help deal with illegal gambling operations currently filling the gap in the casino-less country.

A deal has been signed for a 12-acre site, and discussions continue as to whether the venture should be owned by the government or by private interests.

Current illegal gambling in Israel has been estimated to turn over $3.6 billion a year and involve over a hundred locations.

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