The Macau government has been pushing casino operators for the last 18 months to diversify their portfolio and expand their non-gaming offerings so that their casinos have a better family friendly environment. The initiative appears to be bearing fruit as Macau’s six major gambling providers recently decided to join forces and launch a special ‘Macau loves locals’ initiative.

Wynn Macau Limited, Sands China Ltd, Galaxy Entertainment Group, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, S.A. (SJM), MGM China Holdings Limited and Melco Crown Entertainment are now collaborating to promote a city wide promotion that offers local residents in Macau discounts and subsidized rates on non-gaming services as their casinos and hotels.

This corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaign kicked off on the 23rd of February and will run till the end of 31st March 2016. The discounts will be applicable on a number of services such as family friendly shows, spas and massages, luxury hotel room discounts and subsidized rates at premier Michellin starred restaurants.

The Macao SAR Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong Vai Tac, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) director Paulo Martins and some of the key executives from the six gaming establishments met at the World Trade Center in Macau on the 23rd of February and officially launched this special initiative.

In a statement, Leong said “This joint promotion gives Macao locals the opportunity to enjoy unprecedented special offers on a wide range of non-gaming offerings which include hotel accommodation, entertainment and dining for a limited period, rewarding them with this promotion while at the same time promoting the development of the non-gaming sector in the city.”

The ‘Macau loves locals’ initiative is available to both permanent and non-permanent residents of Macau. Locals who would like to avail any of these discounts and special prices at the establishments of these six gaming providers will have to present their Macau ID cards. These special offers will only be applicable to non-gaming services.

Macau’s casino industry has relied heavily on tourists especially from Mainland China to patronize their casinos and make full use of their gaming services. The anti-corruption crackdown in Macau has significantly impacted gaming revenues and all Macau casinos have been forced to expand their non-gaming services to boost revenues. This new CSR initiative will look to give locals a firsthand experience of the world class quality of non-gaming services available in their city.

Kevin Kelley, the chief operating officer of the Galaxy Entertainment Group stated he was happy to launch this initiative as it will enable Macau residents to have an experience that exceeded their expectations and hopefully go back and share it with their friends and family encouraging them to also visit Macau’s casinos. Kelley also went on to emphasize that it would be great if the locals could share their experiences with people from Mainland China.