This week, it was announced that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is studying the possibility of building a gambling complex in Eilat, a city located in the south of the country. With that purpose, the Minister has organized a committee, headed by the treasury’s director general, Yarom Ariav, which will study and decide if the project is viable.

The commission includes members of the police and the Justice, Interior, Tourism and Welfare Ministries who, in case of approving a casino, will also consider whether the gambling resort should be operated by a private company or the state. They are due to present a report to the Primer Minister in a few weeks.

At the same time, the retiring director of the Mifal Hapayis National Lottery, Shimon Katznelson, said he had been discussing with Raanan Dinur, the Prime Minister’s Office general director, a project through which the lottery could run a casino in Israel.

Currently, casinos are illegal in the country, which forces Israelis to travel abroad or visit offshore casino cruise ships in order to gamble. Some years ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supported the construction of a casino but plans were never carried out.