Macau, China, May 12, 2026 (Lusa) – Macau's economy has exceeded expectations with a post-pandemic recovery driven by "major events" in culture and sport, the president of casino operator Sands China stated on Tuesday.
Speaking at the opening of Global Gaming Expo Asia (G2E Asia), the region’s largest gambling-entertainment exhibition and conference event, Sands China President Grant Chum said Macau has entered a "new era" where entertainment, culture, and sport now serve as the primary growth engines.
"The pandemic was a truly challenging period, but Macau has overcome it very well and recovered beyond anyone's expectations," he said.
Macau, the world’s gambling capital and the only place in China where casinos are legal, suffered years of travel restrictions due to the 'zero-covid' policy.
However, Chum highlighted a rapid transformation into an "event economy" spanning art, music, and sport.
Macau ended 2025 with total revenues of 247.4 billion patacas (€26.15 billion), a 9.1% increase from the previous year’s 226.8 billion patacas (€24 billion euros).
The semi-autonomous Chinese city reached a new historical record last year, receiving approximately 40.1 million visitors, a 14.7% rise compared to 2024.
Despite the increase in visitor numbers, local casino revenues remain below pre-pandemic levels.
In recent years, Macau authorities have followed an economic diversification policy dictated by China's central government. This strategy seeks to reduce the local economy's dependence on the gambling industry by developing sectors such as major events, culture, finance, and technology.
Despite these efforts, gambling still accounted for almost half of Macau's total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2025, based on official data.
Six concessionaires, MGM, Galaxy, Venetian, Melco, Wynn, and SJM, operate in the territory. In December 2023, they renewed their concession contracts for the following ten years.
At the time, the six operators committed to investing more than 100 billion patacas (€10.4 billion) in non-gambling elements.
Chum stressed that all six licenced casino operators in the city have been "proactively driving diversification" to reshape the territory's global reputation.
The executive said that the "event economy is truly flourishing" in the territory, supported by new infrastructure such as the Galaxy Arena and the return of flagship shows like Melco's The House of Dancing Water.
As an example of this new direction, Chum highlighted the return of the NBA to China last year following a six-year absence.
The two pre-season games on 10 and 12 October brought the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns to Macau, filling the 14,000-capacity Venetian Arena.
"Although the NBA China Games were traditionally held in major mainland hubs like Shanghai or Beijing, the league chose Macau for its most recent series of two pre-season games," he said.
On 9 and 11 October this year, the Houston Rockets will face the Dallas Mavericks at the same venue. Patrick Dumont, the chief executive of Sands China's parent company, Las Vegas Sands, owns the Mavericks.
NCM/RYOL // AYLS
Lusa
