Elsie Ao Ieong U, the secretary for social affairs and culture in Macau, announced on Thursday that the six concessionaires in the city must present their plans for sporting events to the government by the end of the month.
Announcing the deadline, Ao said, “Many events in Macau are being advertised, such as basketball competitions, table tennis matches, and marathons, and some significant sporting events will be conducted by large companies in the future.
“The six gaming concessionaires must submit their sports plans, including the scheduled sporting events, in March. This will be coordinated by the government.”
The Macau government has created a “sports + tourist” development plan, combining sports and tourism. The government has prioritized non-gaming components, such as sports development, under the new 10-year concessions negotiated by the concessionaires and in effect as of 1 January 2023.
The Galaxy Entertainment Macao International Marathon, the MGM MACAU International Regatta, and the Sands China Macao International 10k race are a few of the sporting events that the concessionaires have already planned. The six concessionaires have additionally supported the Macau Grand Prix for a long time.
The government considers this to be a corporate social responsibility and believes Macau’s gaming operators need to develop non-gaming elements and take on more social responsibility in the future. There has been some debate over whether or not authorities should delegate responsibility for such projects to private enterprise.