Founding as Melco Crown Entertainment (2004-2015) In 2004,
Melco International Development Limited partnered with
James Packer, founder of Australian casino company
Crown Limited, creating the joint venture Melco Crown Entertainment Limited to invest in gaming ventures and related businesses in
Macau. In March 2006, Melco Crown spent US$900 million to purchase the last of
Macau's six gaming licenses from
Wynn Resorts. The license allowed Melco Crown to operate an unlimited number of casinos, tables and machines in Macau until June 2022. Following that, the company began developing its first casino. Also in 2011, Melco Crown acquired a 60% interest in
Studio City Macau, a large-scale integrated resort project in
Cotai. Designed with a
Hollywood theme, the integrated resort opened in October 2015 with a cost of $3.2 billion. in partnership with SM Investments, with an investment of approximately US$1 billion, in which Melco Crown was expected to invest up to $580 million. Crown Limited subsequently suffered debts from ill-timed investments, according to the
South China Morning Post, giving Melco International the chance to buy up Packer’s shares. ending their long-time partnership, with Melco Crown renamed as Melco Resorts & Entertainment. In the same year, Melco Resorts also won a license to build an integrated resort in
Limassol,
Cyprus, which granted a 30-year license with 15 years of exclusivity. In 2018, Japan passed new legislation
legalizing casinos, Melco Resorts submitted preliminary documents to the
Osaka government and expressed it was willing to invest as much as $10 billion in an integrated resort project. In August 2019,
Yokohama became the second Japanese city besides Osaka to begin accepting bids, announcing its candidate site as
Yamashita Pier. Melco Resorts adjusted its strategy, dropping its bid in Osaka in September 2019,and began pitching "the world's biggest integrated resort". In August 2019, Melco Resorts became the official sponsor of
Manchester City in Japan, while also sponsoring its sister club
Yokohama F. Marinos. Melco Resorts announced that it has appointed tennis player
Naomi Osaka to serve as its brand ambassador in October 2019, and that she was also director of sports for Melco's Japanese resorts. During the COVID‑19 pandemic, Melco launched its “Simple Acts of Kindness” program, under which employees volunteered during work hours to support more than 1,600 community organizations. The Company also donated HKD 20 million (approximately USD 2.6 million) to assist Wuhan and Hubei in procuring medical supplies. The initiative received the Community Award – Asia at the 2020 Industry Community Awards. In 2022, Melco was granted a new 10-year gaming concession in Macau, effective January 1, 2023. The Company announced a long‑term investment commitment of MOP 11.82 billion in Macau over the following decade, including MOP 10 billion allocated to non‑gaming developments and initiatives aimed at attracting overseas visitors. In 2023, Melco opened Studio City Phase 2 in Macau, a US1.2 billion expansion designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. The predominantly non‑gaming development includes two hotels — Epic Tower and W Macau Studio City — a 26,000‑square‑metre water park, and facilities for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE). During the same year, Melco launched its Residency Concert Series, featuring Asian artists including Aaron Kwok, Joey Yung, and Leon Lai. In 2024, Melco expanded its non‑gaming entertainment offerings in Macau with the opening of Studio City Cinema, featuring the first Dolby Cinema in Macau and Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the “Simple Acts of Kindness” initiative continued to receive industry recognition, including Best CSR Initiative at the IAG Academy Awards in 2024 and 2025. In May 2025, the aquatic show, 'House of Dancing Water' returned to City of Dreams Macau. Originally premiered in 2010, the show has been hailed as a groundbreaking achievement in live entertainment. With a production budget exceeding RMB 2 billion, the show has staged nearly 4,000 performances, attracting audiences from all over the globe. In the same year, Melco also opened iRad Hospital with medical facility equipped with MRI and CT scan equipment in Studio City, as part of efforts to support Macau’s economic diversification. Melco further expanded in South Asia with the opening of City of Dreams Sri Lanka in Colombo, a US$1.2 billion integrated resort developed in partnership with John Keells Holdings. As the largest integrated resort in Sri Lanka, the property includes two hotels with 800 rooms, retail outlets, and conference and exhibition facilities. Melco operates the gaming faciality under a 20‑year license and manages the Nüwa hotel. ==Properties==