Poker in Malaysia

The casinos and venues that host the most poker festivals in our database.

Resorts World Genting

Genting Highlands, Malaysia

Festivals

12

Last Festival

Oct 2026

Biggest Results in the Last 12 Months

Event	Festival	Winner	Entries	Prize Pool
#24 Main EventApr 20 2026	Poker Dream 21 MalaysiaGenting Highlands	Rudy Edenata	1,572	MYR 5.2M~$1.3M
#29 Main EventNov 3 2025	Poker Dream 19 MalaysiaGenting Highlands	Chik Fatt Carter Chan	1,547	MYR 5M~$1.2M
#30 Main EventFeb 9 2026	Poker Dream 20 MalaysiaGenting Highlands	Donghai Huang	1,570	MYR 4M~$1M
#34 Main EventAug 3 2026	Poker Dream 25 MalaysiaGenting Highlands	Daniel Lim Hung Chun	1,043	MYR 4M~$1M
#46 Super High RollerOct 31 2025	Poker Dream 19 MalaysiaGenting Highlands	Chi Ngong Tang	106	MYR 3M~$710.3K
#1 Malaysia OpenApr 11 2026	Poker Dream 21 MalaysiaGenting Highlands	Win Kit Damien Woo	1,913	MYR 2M~$495.9K

Gambling in Malaysia is controlled mainly by the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, which makes it an offence to game in an unlicensed gaming house. The federal government licensed one casino, at Resorts World Genting in Genting Highlands, in 1969, and the licence is renewed every three months. Poker festivals such as Poker Dream run at Genting Highlands. Illegal card rooms elsewhere are raided by police, and players found inside can be charged.^{[1, 2, 4, 5, 11]}

• Resorts World Genting is the only licensed casino in Malaysia.
• Gaming membership at Genting requires age 21 and a government photo ID such as a passport or Malaysian NRIC.
• Malaysian Muslims are excluded from gaming membership at Genting.
• Gaming in a common gaming house is an offence under section 6 of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 (fine up to RM5,000, up to six months in prison, or both, per a law firm summary).
• A person found in a gaming house during a raid is presumed to have been gaming unless they prove otherwise.

Age: Genting Rewards gaming membership requires age 21 and excludes Malaysian Muslims; non-gaming membership is open from 18.^{[1, 2]}

Malaysia has no licence for online casinos or online poker. In 2023 the Court of Appeal held that online gambling premises count as a common gaming house even without physical gaming equipment, so the 1953 Act covers online gambling. The communications regulator MCMC has 1,778 gambling websites blocked and had over 457,000 gambling posts removed between January 2025 and May 2026. The government is studying amendments to the Common Gaming Houses Act and a Cyber Crime Bill to cover online gambling more directly.^{[6, 7, 8, 5]}

Licensed online poker

None

Players can be prosecuted

Yes

Sites blocked

Yes

Advertising ban

Unclear

• No domestic licensed online poker or online casino operator.
• Court of Appeal (2023): computers and laptops can count as gaming machines, and online premises can be a common gaming house.
• ISPs blocked 1,778 gambling websites at MCMC's request between January 2025 and May 2026.
• MCMC acts under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and the Online Safety Act 2025; police enforce the Common Gaming Houses Act.
• In January 2026 the Home Ministry said it was studying stricter laws, including online gambling offences in a proposed Cyber Crime Bill.

Visa

Citizens of many countries, including the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, can enter without a visa, and most ASEAN nationals can stay up to a month visa-free; others apply for an eVisa at malaysiavisa.imi.gov.my (see imi.gov.my). Most foreign visitors must also submit the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) online within three days before arrival.

Money

The currency is the Malaysian ringgit (MYR). Change money or withdraw ringgit in Kuala Lumpur before going up to Genting Highlands, and check payment options with the casino cage.

Casino Entry

Bring your passport: gaming membership at Genting requires a valid government photo ID, age 21+, and Malaysian Muslims are excluded. No entry levy for visitors was found.

Tax on Winnings

We have not confirmed yet how poker winnings are taxed in Malaysia. Check with the venue or a tax adviser before you play for large amounts.

The legal answers rest on official sources: laws, regulators, government and courts. News and poker media are marked as secondary sources and are used for the poker scene, not as the only basis of a legal answer.

1. 1.Genting Rewards Terms & Conditions - Resorts World Genting, accessed October 28, 2026
2. 2.Genting Rewards FAQ - Resorts World Genting, accessed October 28, 2026
3. 3.Responsible Gaming - Resorts World Genting, accessed October 28, 2026
4. 4.Malaysia's only casino is being targeted by an Islamic political party - Fortune (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
5. 5.Section 6(1) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 - Low & Partners (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
6. 6.Online gambling is an offense: Malay court - AGB (Asia Gaming Brief) (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
7. 7.Over 450,000 online gambling posts removed, 1,778 websites blocked since January 2025 - The Star (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
8. 8.Putrajaya mulls stricter laws to curb online gambling - New Straits Times (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
9. 9.Visa Requirement - Immigration Department of Malaysia, accessed October 28, 2026
10. 10.From December 1, foreigners visiting Malaysia must fill up digital arrival card - Malay Mail (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026
11. 11.Poker Dream Malaysia Returns With ~$1M GTD Main Event & Mixed Games Galore - PokerNews (secondary source), accessed October 28, 2026