MGM Cotai

Suspended operations: casino, restaurants and gatherings

MGM Cotai has been through at least one full shutdown. On October 30, 2022, the casino was ordered to suspend operations until further notice, and the hotel restaurants and shops inside the hotel were closed at the same time⁵. All gatherings inside the hotel were suspended, and the property stopped accepting new guests⁶. Casino and hotel staff and hotel guests were placed in on-site quarantine from October 30 to November 1⁵.

That was a pandemic-era measure tied to a specific case, not the normal state of the property. The person involved was a dealer at the MGM Cotai casino⁷. Macau had already ordered all casinos and non-essential businesses to suspend operations in an earlier outbreak that year⁸.

For context on how unusual that was: Macau casinos normally operate 24 hours a day³. If you are planning a trip, check the current status before you go, but treat the 2022 closures as history rather than the current situation.

Casino floor: tables, slots and who the games are aimed at

The casino floor at MGM Cotai is one of the larger ones in Cotai. As of December 31, 2024, it covered about 24,549 square meters with 972 slot machines and 410 gaming tables¹. For comparison, the sister property MGM Macau had a floor of about 23,283 square meters with 961 slot machines and 340 gaming tables plus multiple VIP and private gaming areas¹.

The numbers have moved around over the years, which is normal for a Macau casino because table allocation is controlled by the government. When MGM Cotai was being planned, the design capacity was up to 500 gaming tables and up to 1,500 slots⁹. The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau approved 100 tables for the opening, with 25 more effective January 1, 2019, for a total of 125 at that point¹⁰. By the end of 2019 the property reported a floor of about 27,696 square meters with 1,154 slot machines and 262 gaming tables¹¹. The 2024 figures above show how it settled.

The games themselves are the standard Macau mix: baccarat is the dominant table game across the city, alongside blackjack, poker and the usual electronic table games and slots. MGM Cotai also has VIP and private gaming areas for higher-limit play¹.

Macau's casinos are open to the public, but the minimum age to enter and gamble is 21. Bring your passport, since ID checks are standard at the door. Visitors from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and further afield all use the same floor; there is no separate tourist-only room as there is in some other Asian jurisdictions. If you want to compare the layout and rules at other Cotai properties, see Galaxy Macau, City of Dreams Macau and Wynn Palace. On the peninsula, MGM Macau is the sister property, and Grand Lisboa and StarWorld Hotel and Casino are the older downtown options.

The Mansion and VIP gaming

The Mansion is MGM Cotai's premium gaming facility, aimed at the highest end of the market. Company filings list it alongside MGM Cotai Emerald Villa and MGM Macau Alpha Villa as premium amenities designed to attract ultra-high-end customers, together with premium gaming lounges and stadium-style electronic table game terminals¹².

In practice, that means The Mansion is not a general-admission area. It is a private, invitation-oriented space for large players, and the same is true of the Emerald Villa. If you are an ordinary visitor, you will not wander into it; you will play on the main floor. If you are a high-limit player, your host or junket contact is the route in, and the terms are arranged privately rather than posted.

The main floor still has its own VIP and private gaming areas, which is where most higher-limit play happens for players who are not at The Mansion level¹. Macau's VIP segment has shrunk considerably since its peak, and the premium rooms at MGM Cotai reflect the current, more concentrated version of that business.

Restaurants, hotel and other facilities

MGM Cotai is a full resort, not just a casino. It has approximately 1,400 rooms and suites². Earlier filings described the project as having approximately 1,500 hotel rooms, so the two figures describe the same property at different points and with different rounding⁹.

Dining and leisure are substantial. The property has 12 restaurants and bars of different styles¹¹. For comparison, MGM Macau has 8 restaurants and bars, a pool and spa, and about 1,600 square meters of convertible meeting space¹³. MGM Cotai's restaurant lineup has been a draw in its own right, with a mix of Chinese, Japanese, Western and international options across the resort.

The resort sits on an approximately 18 acre site on the Cotai Strip¹⁵. That footprint is what allows the combination of a large casino floor, a big hotel tower and the restaurant and retail space in one complex.

If you are comparing resorts on the Cotai Strip before booking, Wynn Macau and Galaxy Macau are the closest comparisons in scale, while City of Dreams Macau sits nearby on the same strip.

Getting there and contact details

MGM Cotai is at Avenida da Nave Desportiva, Cotai, Macau². It is about 5 minutes by car from Macau International Airport or Taipa Ferry Terminal¹⁴. From the Macau Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal, the heliport or the border gate, it is about 15 minutes by car¹⁶.

The free shuttle bus is the easiest way in for most visitors. The route runs between the following stops, from 9:00 to 21:45⁴:

• MGM Cotai
• Taipa Ferry Terminal
• Macau International Airport
• Macau Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal (temporarily relocated to the Jai Alai entrance area)
• MGM Macau

The same schedule is published in English as 9:00 AM to 9:45 PM¹⁴. The service is free for guests and connects both MGM properties¹⁶.

If you are coming from Hong Kong by ferry, the Taipa route puts you closest. If you cross the border from Zhuhai at the Gongbei gate, the drive is around 15 minutes. Taxis are metered and plentiful at the airport and ferry terminals, and the shuttle is the cheaper option if the timing suits you.

For other Macau properties with similar shuttle setups, see SJM Resorts, S.A.: Casino Lisboa, Casino Oceanus at Jai Alai, Casino Jai Alai and Melco Resorts (Macau) Limited: Mocha Inner Harbour, Mocha Hotel Royal, Mocha Kuong Fat, Mocha Golden Dragon, Mocha Sintr.