The president and chief operating officer of the United States-based casino firm Las Vegas Sands Corp (LVS), Patrick Dumont, says the company is looking to bring more high-profile sports events to its Macau properties.
Mr Dumont’s comments came as the firm’s Macau subsidiary, Sands China Ltd, hosted two 2025 pre-season games between National Basketball Association (NBA) teams – the Phoenix Suns and the Brooklyn Nets – on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
“Macau really is a city of entertainment and sport,” Mr Dumont said during a fireside chat (pictured) on Sunday.
“Because of the format here, it’s easy to organise other sporting events. So, the goal is to bring more sports here over time and highlight that capability.”
He added: “For us, given what we have and our excitement about NBA basketball, we started with that.”
The South China Morning Post newspaper quoted Mr Dumont on Monday as confirming that Sands China would again host NBA games next year, this time between the Dallas Mavericks – the team he owns – and the Houston Rockets.
Sands China and the NBA signed last year a multi-year agreement to stage preseason games in Macau. Under the deal, the NBA will host two preseason games per year over the next five years at the Venetian Arena.
Also participating in the fireside chat was Joe Tsai, co-founder and chairman of Chinese digital conglomerate Alibaba Group, and owner of the Brooklyn Nets, one of the teams taking part in the Macau 2025 NBA games.
Joining the panel as well, was former international footballer and current co-owner of United States-based football club Inter Miami, David Beckham.
In his remarks, Mr Dumont noted the impact of the 2025 NBA games in Macau.
“You look at the fans who are here for these games, the reactions they’re having, the value of those fans, and their consumer habits… it’s really tremendous,” he said.
Mr Dumont attributed part of that success to improvements in local infrastructure over the years.
“If you think about Macau 20 years ago, when our company first started here, there really wasn’t much business tourism. There was a lot of leisure tourism, and it was very short-stay,” he recalled.
“With the infrastructure that’s been built here, business tourism has developed… With further investment, better hotel rooms, better restaurants, and better retail, people are staying longer. The great news is there’s been also a huge amount of infrastructure development around Macau over the years, which has made it easier for people from farther away to visit. All this has really helped enhance what Macau is.”
The LVS executive also highlighted the role of social media in the city’s market development.
“What’s interesting is that social media has really accelerated the way people think about the experiences available in Macau. Instead of reading a magazine or waiting for a television travel show, you can now get direct information from people who tell you what you could experience if you make the effort. That’s very powerful because Macau has a lot of great things to offer,” Mr Dumont said.
