Exclusive | Beyond baccarat: how Sands China is driving Macau 3.0 with NBA, better infrastructure

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Xi Jinping to visit Macau for 25th anniversary of handover as Sands China unveils non-gaming strategy

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Peggy Sito

Published: 10:00am, 14 Dec 2024Updated: 11:16am, 18 Dec 2024

As Macau marks the 25th anniversary of its handover, the city’s casino operators are responding to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call to invest in tourism and leisure to diversify the gambling-dependent economy. In the first of a series of profiles, the Post looks at what Sands China is doing to upgrade its facilities and put more emphasis on special events and entertainment.

Just a week ago, National Basketball Association (NBA) legends Tracy McGrady, Ray Allen and Tony Parker joined celebrities like Thailand’s Vachirawit “Bright” Chivaaree and Hong Kong’s Sammi Cheng and Raymond Lam for a glitzy event in the newly refurbished Venetian Arena in The Venetian Macao.

The NBA Legends Celebrity Game, which was a prelude to the NBA’s return to China at The Venetian Macao next year, was also the first event of its kind in the arena since its renovation. The upgrade is part of Sands China’s drive to improve tourism infrastructure in Macau, a former Portuguese colony that is about an hour away from Hong Kong by boat. The two cities are part of the Greater Bay Area, an agglomeration of southern cities that the central government in Beijing would like to be a globally competitive economic zone by 2035.

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How Sands China is driving ‘Macau 3.0’ with NBA Legends, better infrastructure

In an effort to lure more international visitors, casino operators and the city’s government have been on a mission to diversify Macau’s economy, with greater emphasis on non-gaming offerings like tourism, special events and entertainment. The initiative has been dubbed “Macau 3.0.” The plan aligns with directives from President Xi Jinping, who is expected to visit Macau for the 25th anniversary of the end of Portuguese control. He will also oversee the swearing-in of the city’s new chief executive.

Sands China and its competitors – Wynn Macau, Galaxy Entertainment, MGM China, Melco Resorts and SJM Holdings – are also upgrading high-end casino areas and planning entertainment events.

What sets Sands China apart from its competitors, according to president and CEO Grant Chum, is two decades of managing major non-gaming assets and businesses.

“We have deep experience in all of these non-gaming offerings and business pillars ranging from retail to entertainment, to food and drink to conventions [and] exhibitions,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Post. “It is not because we were told to, this is a core part of our business model. It is in our DNA.”