MGM Macau

Is MGM Macau open right now?

MGM Macau runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year¹, with the casino floor, hotel, restaurants and shops all open. Macau's casinos as a whole stay open around the clock, so there is no closing time to plan around⁵.

The one recent interruption in Macau was a government-ordered suspension during the pandemic, but it applied to MGM Cotai, not MGM Macau. In October 2022, the casino, hotel restaurants and shops at MGM Cotai were ordered to suspend operations until further notice, and staff and hotel guests there were placed in on-site quarantine from October 30 to November 1⁶. That order has long since been lifted, and MGM Macau has been operating normally throughout.

If you are planning a trip around a specific event or show, it is worth checking the operator's own site before you travel, since individual restaurants and outlets keep their own hours even when the casino does not close⁷.

Who can go in

Entry to the casino floor is free, and there is no membership requirement to walk in and play. The rules that matter are about who is barred rather than who pays.

Macau law bars several groups from casino gaming areas. These include people who are incapacitated or intoxicated, undischarged bankrupts, off-duty casino employees, anyone carrying weapons, explosives or recording devices, and public administration staff unless they have permission or are on duty⁸. Public administration workers, including staff of public utility entities and the security forces, are banned from entering casinos unless the Chief Executive permits it⁹.

For ordinary visitors, the practical points are simple. Bring photo ID, since you may be asked to prove your age at the door or at a table. Do not bring a camera or recording equipment onto the floor. If you are a public servant in Macau, check your position before you go, because the ban applies to you specifically.

Foreign visitors and residents are treated the same as local residents for entry purposes. The restrictions are about occupation and condition, not nationality.

Games on the floor

MGM Macau's gaming floor covers about 23,283 square meters and holds 961 slot machines and 340 gaming tables, along with several VIP and private gaming areas, as of December 31, 2024². The mix has shifted over the years: in 2019 the floor had 1,085 slot machines and 290 tables across about 28,551 square meters¹⁰, and in 2015 it had 1,272 slots and 417 tables³.

The floor is divided into mass market areas and VIP areas. The mass market section is where most visitors play, with table games and slot machines open to anyone. The VIP and private gaming areas are separate rooms, usually reached through a host or a loyalty tier, and they carry higher table minimums.

If you want a sense of how a Macau casino floor is laid out before you arrive, the casinos in China page explains who can go in, and Fan-Tan and Sic Bo covers two of the table games you will see on the floor.

MGM also runs a second Macau property, MGM Cotai, on the Cotai Strip. That resort opened on February 13, 2018, with 100 gaming tables approved at opening and 25 more added from January 1, 2019, for 125 in total⁴. It has capacity for up to 500 tables and up to 1,500 slots, with about 1,500 hotel rooms¹¹.

For comparison, other Macau floors nearby include Wynn Macau, Galaxy Macau, StarWorld Hotel and Casino, Grand Lisboa and City of Dreams Macau.

Smoking on the gaming floor

Smoking is banned on all mass market gaming floors in Macau. The ban was implemented in October 2014 and applies to casinos including MGM China⁴. If you smoke, you will need to leave the gaming area to do so.

This is a floor-wide rule rather than a room-by-room one, so do not expect to find a smoking section inside the mass market area. VIP rooms and private gaming areas may have their own arrangements, but the mass market floor is smoke-free.

The Golden Lion Club

MGM Macau's loyalty program is the Golden Lion Club, a tiered program for gaming-focused customers¹². MGM China also runs the M life loyalty program, which is aimed at non-gaming customers and works in a similar way to MGM Rewards in the United States¹³.

The Golden Lion Club is offered at both MGM Macau and MGM Cotai, so points and tier status carry across the two properties⁴. If you play mainly in the casino, the Golden Lion Club is the one to join. If you are there for the hotel, restaurants and shows, M life is the relevant program.

MGM has also built out premium amenities aimed at high-end customers, including premium gaming lounges, stadium-style electronic table games terminals, and non-gaming spaces such as The Mansion, MGM Cotai Emerald Villa and MGM Macau Alpha Villa¹³.

Rooms, dining and leisure

The hotel at MGM Macau is a 35-storey tower with 579 luxury suites, and the room count breaks down as follows.

Earlier filings listed 582 rooms, so if you see that number elsewhere it reflects an older count⁴.

Dining and leisure at the property include 8 restaurants and bars of different styles, a pool and spa, and about 1,600 square meters of convertible meeting space³. An earlier filing listed 9 restaurants, so the count has moved slightly over time³.

The property is a full resort rather than a casino with a hotel attached. You can stay, eat, swim and hold a meeting without ever stepping onto the gaming floor.

Where it is and how to get there

MGM Macau is in the Sé district on the Macau peninsula¹⁴. It is not on the Cotai Strip, which is where MGM Cotai sits on an approximately 18-acre site¹¹.

Getting there is straightforward from the main arrival points:

• From the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal or the heliport: about a 5-minute drive¹
• From Macau International Airport, the Taipa Ferry Terminal or the Border Gate: about 15 minutes by car¹

Those times are by car, so add a little for traffic at peak hours. Taxis and hotel shuttles are the usual options from the ferry terminal and the airport.

If you are comparing peninsula properties, Grand Lisboa and StarWorld Hotel and Casino are also on the peninsula, while MGM Cotai, Galaxy Macau, City of Dreams Macau and Wynn Palace are on the Cotai side.

What to expect on the day

A first visit is simpler than most people expect. Here is the sequence.

You arrive at the property, which is open 24 hours¹. There is no ticket, no cover charge and no membership card needed to walk onto the mass market floor. You may be asked for photo ID at the entrance or at a table, so carry your passport or ID card.

Once inside, the floor is split between slot machines and table games. Table minimums are posted at each table, and they vary by table and by time of day. Slot machines take cash or tickets, and the floor staff can explain the ticket system if you have not used it before.

If you want to smoke, step outside the gaming area, since the mass market floor is smoke-free⁴. If you want to join the loyalty program, ask at the players' desk; the Golden Lion Club is the gaming-focused option¹².

For a wider look at how Macau's casino floors compare, the casinos in China page covers entry rules across the market, and Wynn Macau is a useful comparison for a peninsula property with a similar layout.

Renovation and changes

There is no current renovation plan for MGM Macau in the sources used here. The property has been operating continuously, and the most recent figures for the floor date from December 31, 2024².

Macau's casino market does go through periodic refurbishment, and other properties have run large rebranding projects. The Londoner Macao, for example, was converted from Sands Cotai Central with 350 added luxury suites, a project that started in 2018 and was expected to finish in 2020¹⁵. That is a different property, but it shows the scale of work that can happen on the Cotai side.

If you are planning a trip specifically around a restaurant or a facility at MGM Macau, check the operator's site before you go, since individual outlets can close for refurbishment even when the casino itself stays open⁷.