Gambling money will develop medical tourism in Eilat, PM claims

Further touting the idea of building as many as four casinos in Eilat, Netanyahu says that the boost to the economy from the venture will help funnel money to a new city hospital.

“This is going to be Eilat’s lifesaver,” he says at a meeting on the issue, according to Ynet news. “In the future the goal will be to turn Eilat into a center for medical tourism, with investment in a new hospital.”

Sources in the meeting say Eilat’s tourism industry has shrunk by 40 percent in the last five years, and that illegal gambling in Israel is an NIS 11 billion to NIS 15 billion ($281 million to $385 million) industry, according to the report.