Genting Highlands: Southeast Asia's Most Unique Casino Experience

Most casino resorts sit in deserts, on coasts, or in urban centres. Genting Highlands sits in the clouds. Perched 6,000 feet above sea level in the Titiwangsa Mountains of Malaysia, it's the world's only casino resort at altitude — and one of the most singular gaming destinations on the planet.

Genting Group opened the first hotel here in 1971. Today, Resorts World Genting encompasses multiple hotels, a sprawling casino, theme parks, and a cable car that climbs through mist and jungle. The climate is cool year-round — a welcome escape from Kuala Lumpur's humidity. Locals and tourists alike flock here for the novelty: gaming in a sweater, fog rolling past the windows.

The casino itself is massive. Multiple floors, thousands of slots, baccarat tables that run 24/7. Genting caters heavily to Asian markets, with a strong emphasis on VIP play. The hotels range from budget-friendly to the opulent Crockfords and Maxims. SkyAvenue mall offers shopping and dining. Genting SkyWorlds theme park adds a family dimension that most casino resorts lack.

Genting Highlands isn't Macau or Singapore. It's weirder, more atmospheric, and utterly its own thing. If you're in Southeast Asia and want a casino experience you can't get anywhere else, make the drive up the mountain.