With their luxury boutiques, world-class hotels and lavish decor, Macao’s integrated resorts may come off as the exclusive domain of those who have the cash to spare. But while the casinos are certainly places where high-rollers can splurge, they also happen to be destinations where ordinary visitors and those on a tight budget can enjoy food, drinks and shows without having to spend a single dime.
In fact, the various integrated resorts across the Macao Peninsula and Cotai offer generous complimentary items or “comps,” as they are called in the gambling industry, in order to attract more visitors and incentivise players to continue gambling.
[See more: How to enjoy Macao on a budget]
These comps, especially the edible ones, are almost always found within the gaming areas, meaning that only those who have reached the minimum legal casino entry age of 21 will be able to access them.
Luckily, the integrated resorts also offer plenty of free shows, meaning that families and little ones are not left out. As you explore the elaborate casino-hotels of Macao, be sure to take advantage of the free food, drinks and shows to make your trip more enjoyable and affordable.
MGM Macau and MGM Cotai
The MGM Macau and Cotai properties both boast impressive snack and beverage bars in their gaming spaces. Here, you can treat yourself to free Häagen-Dazs ice cream, as well as bitesize food such as egg tarts, popcorn, mini pineapple buns, differently flavoured mochi and various pastries.
The food stations are situated in different sections of the casino, although they can be easily spotted since there is generally a long line of people around them. Bubble tea, cocoa drinks and fruit drinks are also available at no cost.
[See more: Accommodation in Macao that doesn’t cost a fortune]
If you find yourself in MGM Cotai, you can also catch the free 10-minute Sea Odyssey show at MGM Cotai Spectacle that features radio controlled dolphins made of helium balloons flying across the atrium. The shows are performed on a daily basis at 1 pm, 3 pm, 5 pm and 7 pm.
Galaxy Macau
Free milk tea can be found at beverage counters located in the gaming area of Galaxy Macau. The easiest way to locate them is to enter the casino through the B1 entrance at the Crystal Lobby and keep walking until you stumble upon it. In an effort to be sustainable, Galaxy has shifted away from using plastic cups and now dispenses the drinks in glasses.
There are also two free daily shows that visitors can catch inside Galaxy’s Diamond Lobby and Crystal Lobby. The Diamond Show is a dazzling light and water show that features a 3-metre tall rotating diamond, which slowly appears from a fountain before disappearing into it once again. The Crystal Lobby Show is the newer of the two shows and is also equally impressive, with its animated ceiling, 12 rotating chandeliers and carefully choreographed music, lights and fountain effects.
[See more: Budget hotels would be a boon for older parts of Macao, says the head of MGTO]
Both performances last several minutes, with the Diamond Show taking place every 30 minutes between noon and 10 pm from Monday and Thursday. On Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays, the show runs at half and hour intervals between 10 am to midnight.
The Crystal Show, on the other hand, is scheduled every 30 minutes from 12:15 pm to 9:45 pm between Monday and Thursday, although the schedule changes to every half hour between 10:15 am and 11:45 pm on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays.
Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace
Those visiting the gaming areas in either Wynn Macau or Wynn Palace will find specific counters (follow the signs) where they can help themselves to free milk tea or fruit juice, as well as snacks such as egg tarts.
The two Wynn resorts also have a number of free performances that are worth checking out, including Performance Lake, a carefully choreographed show that mixes water, lights, music and fire, which takes place at 30 minute intervals every day at the fountain in front of the two properties. Each performance is staged according to a different song, which include classics such as “La donna èmemorable” and movie tunes like “Singing in the Rain.” A detailed schedule of the show for Wynn Macau can be found here, while the timetable for the Wynn Palace performance can be accessed by clicking here.
[See more: British YouTubers Jolly discover Macao’s Michelin-rated street food]
Another attraction that is worth checking out is the free 7-minute performance called Tree of Prosperity in Wynn Macau’s Rotunda Atrium which features a large golden tree emerging from the floor, accompanied by grand music, a dazzling array of lights and smoke. The show, which runs every 60 minutes, is held each day between noon and 10 pm.
Not to be outdone by its Macao counterpart, Wynn Palace has a free six-seat cable car ride called SkyCab that takes passengers on a 10-minute mini tour in front of the resort, complete with a description of the attractions from the cable car’s audio system. Keep in mind, however, that the ride is only available between 4 pm and midnight from Friday to Saturday, and 4 pm to 10 pm from Sunday to Thursday. Hotel guests get to use an express lane and skip the queue.
The Parisian, the Londoner and the Venetian
As the names suggest, these three Sands China-owned resorts are inspired by the architecture of three of Europe’s most famous cities, with each one containing replicas of iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben and the Grand Canal. While these attractions are fun to look at any time of the day, they truly come to life in the evening, thanks to dramatic lighting.
Those visiting the Parisian in the evening can enjoy the nightly Eiffel Tower Grand Illumination Show, which sees the resort’s half-scale Eiffel Tower light up in a flurry of colours at 15-minute intervals between 6:15 pm and midnight. It is also possible to enter the structure and view the Cotai Strip for free from the observation deck on the 7th floor, which can be accessed via the Eiffel Tower Souvenir Shop on the 5th floor. However, those wanting a better view from the highest observation deck on the 37th floor will need to pay an entry fee of 75 patacas per person.
The Londoner also has its own nightly light show called Londoner Light and Sound Spectacular, which takes place in front of the complex every 60 minutes from 7:30 pm to 11:30 pm. Audience members are treated to a spectacle that mixes light effects and iconic British pop songs, from “Diamonds Are Forever” to “Twist and Shout.”
[See more: Here’s a guide to the hotel and casino shuttle bus services in Macao]
Within the Londoner, there is another multimedia show called Changing of the Guard, which is performed in the Crystal Palace lobby and is worth checking out. The show pays tribute to the ceremony of its namesake, with trumpeters, drummers and performers dressed up as the King’s Guards dancing to lively music and spectacular light effects across the various floors of the atrium.
Topping this all off is an actress dressed elaborately as Queen Elizabeth I who stands on the central balcony overlooking the entire performance. The show is performed six days a week at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm from Tuesday to Thursday, and 4:00 pm, 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm between Friday and Sunday.
While the Venetian doesn’t have regular free shows like its two cousins, you can book yourself a gondola ride. The enormous casino also sports beverage counters with complimentary nonalcoholic drinks.
Studio City and Altira Macau
Studio City is a great place for those who have a craving for boozy desserts, as the casino hotel offers an alcoholic confections that mixes China’s incredibly strong spirit, Moutai, with chocolate and vanilla-flavoured ice cream. The treat is available from 5 pm to 7 pm, as well as 9 pm to 11 pm, with only a limited number of servings available on the gaming floor.
If ice cream isn’t to your liking, there are also healthier alternatives such as Chinese herbal soup, which is available from 7 pm to 9 pm, and herbal tea, which is offered between 3 pm to 3 am. Various dim sum such as beef balls and pork siu mai are available between 7 pm and 9 pm as well.
[See more: The government unveils freebies and discounts for foreign tourists]
Meanwhile, beef offal, or ngau zap (牛雜), as the dish is known in Cantonese, is available free of charge on the second-floor gaming area of Altira Macau. This one is definitely for those with a more adventurous palate, as it contains beef lung, stomach and tendons that are cut into bite-size pieces and braised in jus. Not your thing? Then you can opt for curry fish balls, maotai-flavoured milk pudding or milk tea.
The freebies are available from Thursday to Sunday between 3:30 pm and 7:30 pm.
