Genting Malaysia

The Genting Highlands casino closure: what happened and current status

On February 28, 2024, Genting Malaysia Berhad closed two of its casino floors at Resorts World Genting. Genting Casino 1, known as Circus Palace, and Genting Casino 2, known as Hollywood, shut with effect from that date². The company described the move as a temporary closure to upgrade facilities and improve operational efficiency, and to enhance the gaming and entertainment experience for guests².

The statement did not say when the shuttered casinos would reopen². That is the practical point for anyone planning a trip: as of the last check, no reopening date has been announced, and neither Circus Palace nor Hollywood is open.

To keep guests gaming, the resort organized a shuttle service to SkyCasino, located at SkyAvenue². That is where the action moved.

Separately, the indoor theme park and retail outlets in First World Plaza were closed for a complete makeover, a change noted in the company's own filings⁵. That is a different part of the resort from the casino floors, but it matters if you are bringing family and expecting the old indoor park.

Genting Malaysia Berhad: Malaysia's only licensed casino operator

Malaysia has one casino. It sits at Genting Highlands, at Resorts World Genting¹. Resorts World Genting is the sole land-based casino in the country, operating under a specific license, and it is the only legal casino in Malaysia⁶. Genting Malaysia Berhad is the only licensed casino gaming services operator in the country⁷.

That is worth stating plainly because it shapes everything else. If you want to play table games or slots in Malaysia, there is one address. There is no second option in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor or anywhere else.

Malaysia does license other forms of gambling. There are licensed lotteries, sweepstakes, number forecast operators, gaming machine operators, and horse racing at three turf clubs in Penang, Perak and Selangor⁷. So betting on numbers or horses is a separate, legal activity with its own outlets. Casino gaming is not.

Genting Malaysia Berhad is not only a Malaysian company. It owns and operates the following properties:

The Genting casino brand also lists properties in New York, Malaysia, Egypt, the Bahamas and Las Vegas⁹, and its UK arm describes 32 casinos in the UK plus global destinations including New York, Las Vegas and Malaysia¹⁰.

For a player in Asia, the practical upshot is that the Genting name appears in several countries, but the Malaysian license covers one property. If you are in Malaysia, you are going to Genting Highlands or you are not playing casino games.

Genting Casino and SkyCasino: the two casinos and what they offer

The naming at Resorts World Genting can confuse first-timers, so here is the plain version.

Genting Casino 1 (Circus Palace) and Genting Casino 2 (Hollywood) were the two older casino floors. Both closed from February 28, 2024 for upgrades². No reopening date was given².

SkyCasino is the casino at SkyAvenue, and it is the one the resort is actively routing guests to. The resort organized a shuttle service to SkyCasino at SkyAvenue to ensure guests could continue their gaming². Good Luck Restaurant, a dining outlet at the resort, lists its location simply as SkyCasino¹¹, which confirms the venue is operating as a named destination within the resort.

If you are planning a visit and your only goal is to play, SkyCasino is the name to remember. The two closed floors are not available, and there is no published date for them coming back.

SkyCasino at SkyAvenue: location, games and opening

SkyCasino sits inside SkyAvenue, the resort's lifestyle mall. The floor plan directory places it at T2A-01, SkyAvenue Level 2¹². It is near the Genting Rewards counters and Skytropolis¹².

SkyAvenue itself is the resort's main mall, with more than 100 restaurants and retail shops¹³. That matters practically: you can eat, shop and play without leaving the building, which is useful given how spread out the resort is and how changeable the weather is at that altitude.

Genting SkyWorlds Hotel sits at the doorstep of Arena of Stars and SkyAvenue, the mall with more than 100 restaurants and retail outlets¹⁴. Guests there have the shortest walk to the casino area.

For anyone arriving from the theme park side, the route is a bridge. Guests at Genting SkyWorlds Hotel use the connecting bridge on Level 2 of the Main Building to reach Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park, SkyAvenue and SkyCasino¹⁴. The same instruction appears in the Malay version of the hotel page: use the bridge on Level 2, Main Block, to access Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park, SkyAvenue and SkyCasino¹⁵.

The resort as a whole offers Skytropolis Indoor Theme Park, Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park, Sky VR, BigTop Video Games Park, Eufloria and SkyWay¹⁶. So a trip can combine gaming with theme parks, which is why many visitors come as families and split up.

Which hotels are part of Resorts World Genting

The resort lists a range of places to stay, and the names have changed over the years, which trips people up when booking.

The current list includes Crockfords, Genting Grand, RW Hotel (formerly Highlands Hotel), Genting SkyWorlds Hotel, First World Hotel, Resorts World Awana, Resorts World Kijal and Resorts World Langkawi¹⁶. Highlands Hotel was formerly known as Resort Hotel¹⁶.

A few practical notes on the names:

• Crockfords and Genting Grand are the higher-end options, closest to the main gaming and dining areas.
• RW Hotel is the former Highlands Hotel. If you see "Highlands Hotel" in an older booking or a taxi sign, it is the same property.
• First World Hotel is the large, budget-friendly tower, and it is the one most visitors picture when they think of Genting.
• Genting SkyWorlds Hotel connects directly to SkyAvenue and SkyCasino via the Level 2 bridge¹⁴.
• Resorts World Awana sits away from the summit, and Resorts World Kijal and Resorts World Langkawi are separate beach properties elsewhere in Malaysia¹⁶.

Resorts World Genting is in Malaysia¹⁷, in the highlands above Kuala Lumpur. The resort's own group profile lists it as one of the group's properties¹⁷.

Getting there: shuttle service and access for guests

The resort runs a shuttle to SkyCasino. After the two casino floors closed in February 2024, Resorts World Genting organized a shuttle service to SkyCasino at SkyAvenue so guests could continue their gaming². If you are staying at a property that is not directly connected to SkyAvenue, ask at your hotel desk about the current shuttle arrangements, since routes and timings are set by the resort and can change.

If you are at Genting SkyWorlds Hotel, you do not need the shuttle. Use the connecting bridge on Level 2 of the Main Building to reach Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park, SkyAvenue and SkyCasino¹⁴. The same bridge instruction is given in Malay¹⁵ and in Chinese¹⁴.

For context on how casino shuttles usually work in the region, Macau's casinos run free shuttle buses from all border crossings and some tourist hotspots¹⁸, and Grand Lisboa Palace runs a complimentary shuttle from various entry ports and prime locations in Macau²⁰. Genting's setup is different because it is a mountain resort rather than a city casino, so the shuttle is internal to the resort rather than from a border.

Who can enter the casino

Entry rules at Genting Highlands differ by who you are, and this is the part visitors most often get wrong.

For Malaysian citizens, entry to the casino floor requires being non-Muslim³. That is stated directly in the resort's own tournament materials: you must be a non-Muslim, and this applies to Malaysian citizens³.

The Genting Rewards program, which is the membership scheme tied to casino play, excludes Malaysian Muslims from casino-related membership⁴. It also excludes companies, partnerships, trading companies, sole proprietors, societies and any other incorporated or unincorporated bodies from casino membership²¹. The same exclusion appears in the Malay terms: companies, partnerships, trading firms, sole proprietors, associations and other incorporated or unincorporated bodies are excluded from casino-related membership²¹.

In practice, that means casino membership is for individuals, not organizations, and Malaysian Muslims are not eligible for casino-related membership.

For visitors from outside Malaysia, the resort is a major international destination and the casino is the reason many of them come. Foreign visitors are not covered by the non-Muslim citizen rule in the same way, but a passport is still needed, since ID checks at the cage and at membership counters are standard.

For comparison across the region, some casinos are foreigner-only. Paradise Casino Jeju Grand in Korea is a foreigner-only casino²². Malaysia's casino is not foreigner-only, but it does restrict Malaysian citizens by religion.

Self-exclusion at Genting Highlands casinos

Self-exclusion at Genting Highlands casinos is permanent. A player who self-excludes is permanently barred from entering any casino under Genting Highlands Malaysia⁴. If you want to revoke it, you can only request revocation after six months, and it is subject to review and approval by Resorts World Genting⁴.

That is a stricter setup than some jurisdictions. In Singapore, self-exclusion applies to the two casinos, Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands²³, and family exclusion orders work the same way, covering those two casinos²⁴. Singapore's scheme has a defined step-by-step process for self-exclusion²³. Genting's is permanent by default with a six-month minimum before you can even ask.

If you are thinking about self-exclusion, the practical takeaway is that it is not a short cooling-off period you can undo next week. Plan for at least six months.

What to expect on the day

A few practical points for a first visit.

Bring your passport or national ID. Membership counters and cage staff check identity, and the Genting Rewards terms make clear that casino membership is limited to eligible individuals²¹.

Expect the casino to be inside a mall. SkyCasino is at T2A-01, SkyAvenue Level 2¹², so you will walk through retail and dining space to reach it. Good Luck Restaurant is located at SkyCasino¹¹, so you can eat without leaving the floor area.

Plan around the closure. If you last visited before February 2024 and remember Circus Palace or Hollywood, those floors are shut². SkyCasino is where you will play.

Check the shuttle. The resort organized a shuttle to SkyCasino at SkyAvenue², but schedules are set by the resort. Ask at your hotel on arrival.

If you want to compare how other casinos in the region handle entry, age and access, our guides to Resorts World Genting and casinos in Malaysia cover the wider picture, and Genting Rewards Card and GeM Cashless Play explains the membership and cashless system.