Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd. announced November 1 that it will partner with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and WeChat to accept mobile payments throughout its properties in the gaming hub.
The WeChat Pay platform will be available at Galaxy Macau, Broadway Macau and StarWorld Macau, according to a news press release issued jointly by Galaxy and ICBC.
The mobile option “answers the needs of mainland Chinese visitors to Macau, who overwhelmingly prefer to pay with e-wallets such as WeChat Pay,” said the release. “Guests can now pay with WeChat Pay at a wide range of establishments, with a total of 136 outlets launching the service in phases” at hotels, restaurants, bars, shops and entertainment venues at the Galaxy Entertainment properties. Users cannot gamble via the app.
“By launching WeChat Pay across the Galaxy Entertainment properties, we are providing an exclusive opportunity for Macau’s valued mainland China visitors to use a preferred payment method for their comfort, security and convenience,” said Raymond Yap Yin Min, the firm’s senior director of international premium and mass market development.
According to GGRAsia, WeChat Pay is an app-based technology that allows players to make “contactless mobile payments inside and outside Mainland China.” Backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd, it is one of China’s largest mobile payment platforms. Marketed in China under the brand name Weixin, WeChat had 963 million monthly active users as of June 30, according to Tencent Holdings.
In the U.S., Caesars Entertainment recently introduced WeChat Pay at Caesars Palace, Paris Las Vegas, and LINQ Hotel & Casino. “We want to do this for our Chinese customers to make them feel at home,” Caesars VP of International Marketing Bruce Bommarito said.
