Macau casino concessionaire MGM China Holdings Ltd has launched new accommodation suites and a renovated premium gaming area at its MGM Cotai complex (pictured), ahead of the upcoming May holiday season, encompassing Labour Day on May 1, said Bill Hornbuckle, chief executive and president of the parent, MGM Resorts International.
“The next capital projects will involve renovating the suite product in Macau if we want to ensure our offerings stay fresh and ahead of market growth,” Mr Hornbuckle said on a conference call following the announcement of the group’s first-quarter results.
Stating that the group was still “under suited” in Macau, Mr Hornbuckle said the group would “continue with targeted capital spending” in that market.
But he added: “We believe our operating expenses are appropriately sized and scaled to match our growth profile and our margins are sustainable,” the executive stated.”
Aside from MGM Cotai, MGM China also runs the MGM Macau on the city’s peninsula.
Kenneth Feng Xiaofeng, chief executive of MGM China, said on the same call that the company had just launched 63 accommodation suites at MGM Cotai, which he described as a “unique” product in the Greater China region.
He also noted: “We just opened 40,000 square feet [3,716 sq. metres] of premium gaming space at Cotai, with about 40 tables or 15 private rooms.”
The MGM China CEO said the Macau market “is a premium one,” and has “always been competitive from day one”.
“It’s not purely a quantity play; it’s more about quality,” he added. “So, it’s about understanding how to serve your target … premium customers.”
Mr Feng said the company would continue to “refresh” its products, mentioning efforts for its Macau-peninsula property.
“We are in the designing stage for about 100 suites at MGM Macau,” he stated, adding that there would also be tweaks to gaming spaces and food and drinks outlets.
“We want to spend money wisely to really reflect the purpose… of serving premium customers,” the executive noted.
Mr Feng also mentioned the introduction of additional side bets in MGM China’s gaming portfolio.
“Side bets, in general, carry a house advantage, higher than in the traditional games. We are rolling out more side bets literally this week,” following “recent approvals” by Macau’s gaming regulator, the MGM China CEO said.
New side bets approved recently were seen by GGRAsia in a number of Macau properties last week. The new-to-market baccarat side bets ‘Pairs+’, ‘Monkey no Monkey’, and ‘4 Cards’ of the ‘4/5/6 Cards’, have been observed by GGRAsia this week at MGM Cotai.
MGM China reported higher net revenue for the first quarter of 2026, though earnings declined slightly amid higher costs. That included higher branding-related fees paid by the Macau unit to MGM Resorts.
Jonathan Halkyard, MGM Resorts’ chief financial officer, said on the call that while the new branding fees impacted MGM China’s adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA), it resulted in “higher cash flow” for MGM Resorts.
MGM China’s adjusted EBITDA margin for the three months to March 31 was 28.0 percent, compared with 29.6 percent in the first quarter of 2025.
“We expect [MGM China] to be able to continue in the mid- to even high 20s [of percent] in terms of [EBITDA] property level margin,” Mr Halkyard suggested.
“Reducing their EBITDA by the amount of the new fee will get you to the new going-forward margin. But I think we feel that safely in the mid-20s” of percent, he added.
