Inside Asian Gaming has learned that Macau’s concessionaires have been asked by the Macau government to either stop or limit the provision of free snacks to its casino guests amid concerns the practice is negatively impacting local SMEs.
Rumors of the government’s alleged intervention have been circulating on social media in recent days and multiple sources have told IAG that this is indeed the case.
The provision of free snacks and drinks, combined in many instances with free transport options from the mainland, has been utilized by some concessionaires post-COVID as a means to attract customers given the increasingly competitive chase for mass and premium mass players. IAG recently reported on the rise of “zero-dollar tours” targeting younger mainland guests.
However, in recent days some people have commented via mainland social media platform “Little Red Book” that free snacks have been suspended in at least some of Macau’s casinos, including free “Moutai Latte” offered by Wynn Macau and free “Gold Foil Ice Cream” offered by The Parisian.
There have also been comments, allegedly from Macau SMEs, claiming they have had large orders cancelled in recent days. These comments claim that the Macau government has requested an end to the practice due to the impact it is having on local SMEs, with many guests said to be utilizing the free food on offer rather than venturing out to eat or spend money locally.
However, when IAG visited some casinos on the Macau peninsula this morning we found that free snacks were still available, with staff claiming they have not received any instruction to suspend the supply of free snacks.
IAG has asked the DICJ to clarify the situation but had not received a reply at the time of publication.
Nevertheless, a source told IAG, “Everyone has been doing it. The government wants it reduced and controlled.”
The President of the Macau Association for Responsible Gaming, Billy Song, said he had also received this news, stating, “I believe that the casinos will gradually change the mode of serving free snacks in the near future.”
“Free snacks will indeed increase the casinos’ visitor flow,” he added. “But whether this will squeeze the room for survival of SMEs or not, the casinos may take this into consideration and make adjustments in order to fulfill their social responsibility.”
IAG has also heard through sources that SMEs are annoyed because concessionaires had been ordering such snacks through them but have now started cancelling many of those orders.
Since Macau’s casinos first began offering free food and drinks, many mainland tourists have taken advantage of the offer and of “zero-dollar tours” to Macau, by which they arrive on free shuttle buses to the casinos, pick up their free snacks, then return to the border control points using those same shuttle buses.
This way of traveling has become increasingly popular, and even some Hong Kong-based Key Opinion Leaders have promoted this way of spending a day in Macau without paying a single dollar.
