Method
How we score: two scorecards, never combined
Every resort receives a resort score and a casino score, each out of ten to one decimal place. They are calculated from weighted sub-scores that we publish in full on every review. We never merge them into a single number, because a great hotel and a great casino floor are different things.
Resort score
The hotel and its facilities, judged as a place to stay whether or not you set foot on the casino floor.
| Criterion | Weight | What we look at |
|---|---|---|
| Rooms & suites | 25% | Size, finish, sound insulation, beds, bathrooms and how consistent the standard is across towers. |
| Dining | 20% | Range and quality from fine dining to the late-night noodle counter, and how well it serves the resort’s core guests. |
| Pools & wellness | 15% | Pools, spa, gym and outdoor space, judged on quality and on how they cope with peak crowds. |
| Service | 20% | Check-in, housekeeping, concierge and problem-solving across a very large operation. |
| Location & access | 10% | Ease of arrival from the airport and of getting out into the city. |
| Value | 10% | What a typical stay delivers for what it typically costs, compared with regional rivals. |
Casino score
The gaming floor as a venue: its games, spaces, rules and transparency. It never measures your chance of winning.
| Criterion | Weight | What we look at |
|---|---|---|
| Game range & table mix | 25% | Breadth of table games — baccarat, sic bo, blackjack, roulette, Dragon Tiger, poker-based games — plus electronic tables and machines where permitted. |
| Premium & VIP rooms | 20% | Quality, privacy and service of higher-limit areas and private salons, assessed as spaces rather than as incentives. |
| Atmosphere & comfort | 20% | Design, crowding, noise, air quality and how smoking is contained. |
| Rules & player protection | 20% | Visible limits and game rules, entry checks, exclusion schemes, responsible-gambling staff and information. |
| Rewards programme clarity | 15% | How transparently membership, tiers and points are explained. Generosity is not scored. |
How the numbers are produced
Each criterion is scored out of ten from our research: official regulator publications, operator disclosures and published rules, visits and first-hand reports, and cross-checking against reputable reporting. The weighted sub-scores are added together and rounded to one decimal place in code, so the arithmetic is identical on every page.
Current scores
| Resort | Resort score | Casino score |
|---|---|---|
| Resorts World Sentosa | 8.3 | 8.1 |
| Galaxy Macau | 8.7 | 8.8 |
| Studio City Macau | 8.1 | 8.2 |
| Okada Manila | 8.2 | 8.5 |
| Crown Sydney | 8.8 | 8.4 |
What the casino score is — and is not
The casino score describes how well a gaming floor is designed, run and regulated: whether it offers a wide range of games such as baccarat, sic bo, Dragon Tiger, blackjack and roulette; whether its premium rooms are genuinely comfortable and private; whether smoking is well contained; whether limits and rules are clearly displayed; and whether entry checks, exclusion schemes and responsible-gambling staff are visible and effective.
It is not a recommendation to gamble, a prediction of results, or a measure of value for money at the tables. Every casino game has a house edge, and no score changes that. Rewards programmes are scored for clarity — how transparently tiers and earn rates are explained — never for generosity, because we do not want to reward schemes that encourage more play.
Independence
We accept no payment, commission, free stays, gaming credit or hospitality from any resort or operator, and we carry no affiliate or operator links. See our editorial policy.