Casinos in Malaysia

The one legal land-based casino: Resorts World Genting

Resorts World Genting sits high in the mountains of Pahang, just outside Kuala Lumpur, and it is the one land-based casino in Malaysia¹. It operates under a specific license held by Genting Malaysia Berhad, the only licensed casino gaming services operator in the country¹. That makes it a genuine outlier: rather than a strip of competing venues, you get one enormous integrated resort that handles all the casino play in Malaysia.

The scale is hard to overstate. The property offers more than 400 gaming tables and 3,000 slot machines, spread across several casino spaces rather than one giant floor³. Around the gaming sit hotels at several price points, including Crockfords, Genting Grand, RW Hotel (formerly Highlands Hotel), Genting SkyWorlds Hotel, First World Hotel and Resorts World Awana, plus the coastal properties Resorts World Kijal and Resorts World Langkawi elsewhere in the country⁸. Genting Malaysia also owns Resorts World Casino New York City, Resorts World Bimini in the Bahamas and over 40 casinos in the United Kingdom, so the Malaysian flagship is the heart of a much larger international group¹⁰.

In 2020 the resort made history by introducing the country's first legal live poker games, which we cover below³. In early 2024 there were media reports that casinos at the resort had shut; the operator clarified that gaming operations continued as usual, with only certain sections temporarily closed for facility upgrades¹¹.

For the full picture of the resort, its entry rules, games and how to get there, see Resorts World Genting: Entry Rules, Games and Getting There, and for the parent company and its individual casino brands, see Genting Malaysia Berhad: Genting Casino, SkyCasino, Genting Grand, Highlands Hotel, Crockfords, First World Hotel, Resorts World.

Who can enter the casino floors

Two rules govern entry, and both are checked at the door.

First, age: you must be above 21 years of age, irrespective of nationality and race⁵. This applies to everyone, Malaysian or foreign.

Second, religion, and this one applies only to Malaysian citizens: you must be non-Muslim if you hold Malaysian citizenship⁵. Foreign visitors of any religion may enter freely; the rule is a domestic one, reflecting that Malaysian law treats gambling differently for Muslims. In practice, the resort asks you to confirm both conditions before you view casino content or enter the gaming areas⁵.

The same restrictions run through the resort's membership program. Malaysian Muslims are excluded from casino-related Genting Rewards membership, as are companies, partnerships, sole proprietors and other corporate bodies⁶. For visitors under 21, for Malaysian Muslims, and for anyone who simply does not want to game, the resort offers a separate SkyCard that works for non-gaming spending instead³.

If you want to step away entirely, Resorts World Genting operates self-exclusion from all its Malaysian casinos. A permanent exclusion can be revoked only after six months, and only with the resort's review and approval. A 24-hour helpline at +(603) 61059557 connects you with responsible gaming ambassadors who can walk you through the process¹⁴.

The casinos at Genting Highlands: Genting Casino, SkyCasino and Crockfords

Although Malaysia has one licensed casino operator, the gaming at Genting Highlands is spread across three distinct spaces, each with its own character³.

SkyCasino is the one most visitors stumble into first, because it sits inside SkyAvenue, the glass-roofed mall at the center of the resort. If you get hungry mid-session, the Good Luck Restaurant is located inside SkyCasino itself, so you can eat without leaving the building⁵.

In February 2024, news outlets reported that two of the three casino spaces had temporarily shut. The resort clarified that gaming operations continued as usual and that the closures were partial, to allow improvements and facility upgrades; SkyCasino was reported to be operating as normal¹¹. If a specific section is closed during your visit, the others remain open.

Games, tables and slot machines

Across its casino floors, Resorts World Genting offers more than 400 gaming tables and 3,000 slot machines³. The table games include the staples you would expect at any large Asian casino: blackjack, baccarat, roulette and sic bo, alongside regional favorites. Baccarat is the center of gravity, as it is across the region, and the resort runs a signature baccarat competition we describe below.

The slot floors run into the thousands of machines, including progressive jackpot games where the top prize builds across the network³. For a full walkthrough of the table games you will find in Malaysia, what they cost to play and how they work, see Casino Games in Malaysia; for the machine side in depth, see Slot Machines in Malaysia.

The resort also runs invitation-only tournaments for its regular players. The RM2 Million FSG Baccarat Tournament is open only to selected Genting Rewards members, with preliminary rounds held at Casino de Genting 2 next to the Lucky Restaurant; participants get a free three-day, two-night stay at the resort during the tournament, and must register at the counter on the day, with places limited¹⁷. Prizes cannot be transferred, exchanged for cash or extended in validity¹⁷. The Premium Slots Tournament, similarly, is open only to Gold and Platinum card members, who also receive a complimentary three-day, two-night stay on tournament day⁹. For the full tournament calendar and rules, see Genting Casino Tournaments.

Poker at Genting: cash games and tournaments

Resorts World Genting made history in 2020 by introducing Malaysia's first legal live poker games, and the Genting Casino poker room has been spreading them consistently since³.

The cash games are No-Limit Texas Hold'em and Pot-Limit Omaha, with a 5% rake³. Alongside the poker room's cash tables, the wider casino floors offer casino poker variants such as Three-Card Poker, Genting Stud Poker and Progressive Texas Hold'em Poker, which are house-banked table games rather than player-versus-player poker³.

The resort also hosts a few poker tournaments each year, and it is a recurring host of the Poker Dream series, one of Asia's most popular festival brands. Those festivals run at the Genting International Convention Centre, with prize pools often reaching millions of MYR³. Located just outside Kuala Lumpur, the mountain resort makes a natural festival venue, drawing players from across the region¹⁸. For the broader poker scene, see Poker in Malaysia.

The Genting Rewards Card: tiers and membership

A Genting Rewards Card is required for most transactions in the casinos, and you can get one at the membership counters on site³. It is the resort's loyalty and identification card rolled into one.

The program has four tiers: Platinum, Gold, Silver and Red⁶. Each member may hold only one card, and you can apply for one additional card for your lawful spouse as a supplementary member¹³. If your card is lost or stolen, the resort will replace it, but you will pay a fine set at the time, either in cash or by deduction of Genting Points⁶.

As noted above, Malaysian Muslims and corporate bodies are excluded from casino-related membership⁶. The full tier structure, how points are earned and redeemed, and what each card level unlocks are covered in Genting Rewards Card and Genting Points.

Online casinos that serve Malaysians: the position in practice

Online casinos are illegal in Malaysia. The government issues no licenses for online casino operators, any platform based within the country is operating illegally and subject to police action, and the sites that serve Malaysians are instead licensed by international gaming authorities elsewhere¹. Online sports betting is in the same position: prohibited, with no legal domestic option¹.

Despite that, many offshore sites actively serve Malaysian players, and they have built their payment systems around local habits. Deposits and withdrawals typically run through e-wallets such as Skrill and Neteller, local Malaysian e-wallets, direct bank transfers through FPX, and cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum¹⁹. Credit cards are rarely the practical route. Slot stakes on these sites can start as low as RM0.01¹⁴.

The practical risk is simple: playing at an offshore site from Malaysia carries legal exposure, and you have no local regulator to turn to if a site withholds your money. For the full picture, see Online Gambling in Malaysia, Crypto Casinos in Malaysia and Gambling Payments in Malaysia.

Lotteries and other licensed gambling in Malaysia

Beyond the casino at Genting Highlands, licensed gambling in Malaysia is limited to a short list: lotteries, sweepstakes, number forecast games, gaming machine operators, and horse racing at three turf clubs in Penang, Perak and Selangor².

The lottery market is dominated by three licensed operators: Magnum 4D, Sports Toto and Da Ma Cai²⁰. Most lotteries in Malaysia operate as number-based draws, where you pick digits in the hope of matching the drawn combination²⁰. Draw days, ticket prices and prize structures for each operator are covered in detail on their own pages: Sports Toto Games and Prizes, Magnum 4D Games and Prizes and Da Ma Cai Games and Prizes, plus the overview at The Malaysia Lottery.

Horse racing runs at the three turf clubs, covered in Horse Racing in Malaysia. For the wider context of all of this, including traditional games like three-player mahjong and Penang rummy, see Gambling in Malaysia.

Getting to Genting Highlands and planning your visit

Resorts World Genting sits in the mountains of Pahang, just outside Kuala Lumpur, which makes it an easy trip from the capital⁷. The most scenic way up is the Awana SkyWay cable car, which connects the Awana station at the foot of the mountain to the resort, with a stop at Genting Highlands Premium Outlets along the way; it also links to the Genting SkyWay, and from the top you can reach the Arena of Stars, Genting SkyWorlds Hotel and the Genting SkyWorlds theme park¹⁵.

A few practical points for a first visit:

• Bring identification. The 21-and-over and non-Muslim checks apply at the doors, and you will want ID to get a Genting Rewards Card³.
• Dress is resort-casual; this is a family mountain resort with a theme park attached, not a Monte Carlo salon, though Crockfords skews more upscale.
• Plan at least a night if you can. With three casino spaces, thousands of slots, the poker room, dining inside SkyCasino and the theme park outside, a day trip barely scratches it, and tournament participants get accommodation bundled in anyway¹⁷.
• The resort's main phone line is +60 (3) 6101 1118 if you need to check anything before you go³.

For the full trip guide, including where to stay, what things cost and what else there is to do on the mountain, see Genting Highlands Trip Guide.