Sands China Hold Various Activities in Support of Govt's Responsible Gambling Promotions

(Macao, Jan. 15, 2021) – Sands China Ltd. recently wrapped up a series of activities in support of Responsible Gambling Promotions 2020, the annual campaign organised by the MSAR Social Welfare Bureau, the MSAR Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), and the University of Macau's Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming.

From August through December, Sands China's Responsible Gambling Promotions 2020 activities sought to encourage responsible gaming behaviour among team members and further raise their awareness of problem gambling.

"Sands China understands the importance of responsible gaming to the well-being of the Macao community, and it is our pleasure to support the Macao government's Responsible Gambling Promotions 2020," said Dr. Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd. "Through various in-house initiatives and those with local organisations, we are pleased to again see our team members supporting the company's corporate social responsibility efforts and the Macao government's annual responsible gaming awareness promotion."

The company's initiatives included holding two responsible gaming workshops for its team members. The first, Little Maze Architect's Parent-Child Handicraft Workshop, was co-organised by Gaming Employees Home and supported the family theme of Responsible Gambling Promotions 2020. Team members and their young children learned how to improve their communication and relationships with each other at the October workshop, and how to cultivate children's self-control and financial management skills and recognise the negative impacts of addictive behaviour to the family.

The second was a Gambling Disorder Sharing Workshop in November, where team members had the opportunity to get a better understanding of gambling disorder and how to seek help for themselves or others.

Additionally, the Sheng Kung Hui Macau Social Services Coordination Office, YMCA Macau, the Youth Volunteers Association of Macau (AJVM) and the Macao Gaming Industry Employees Home have held roadshows at various times between August and November 2020 at Sands^® Macao, The Venetian^® Macao, The Londoner^® Macao and The Parisian Macao. These roadshows seek to increase awareness among team members of responsible gaming and to encourage those dealing with gambling disorders to seek help as soon as possible.

Team members learned more about the local organisations' responsible gaming services, such as Sheng Kung Hui's 24-hour gambling counselling hotline and its responsible gaming microfilm promotion. The Youth Volunteers Association of Macau's table presented information about how online gambling is illegal, and the Macao Gaming Industry Employees Home roadshow had a theme of harmonious families staying away from gambling. YMCA Macau provided info on the eight preferable attitudes and behaviours of responsible gaming.

Sands China also featured four responsible gaming video clips at its properties back-of-house team member areas, all produced in-house by the company. The videos covered the topic of responsible gaming through the telling of four stories: "Don't indulge in gambling, cherish your family," "The longer you gamble, the more you lose," "Don't indulge in gambling, seek help proactively," and "Don't borrow to finance gambling."

An additional three videos also ran on the back-of-house screens, produced by YMCA Macau and sponsored by Sands China: "The longer you gamble, the more you lose," "There is no way to predict gambling outcomes," and "Lost control, Lose Family."

Other responsible gaming activities throughout the campaign included conducting Responsible Gaming Ambassador Refresher Training for team members and supporting a responsible gaming drama in September.

Sands China remains committed to the well-being of its guests and recognises the importance of responsible gaming to the Macao community. Sands China was the first gaming operator in Macao to launch a self-exclusion programme in 2004, and was a pioneer in including responsible gaming training in its company-wide team member orientation programme. Sands China established its comprehensive responsible gaming programme in 2007, with the goals of contributing to the continuous development of the Macao community, bearing corporate responsibility in addressing social issues and developing an environment and a culture of responsible gaming in Macao.

Photo caption: Participants enjoy the Little Maze Architect's Parent-Child Handicraft Workshop on Oct. 17, co-organised by Gaming Employees Home. The activity was part of Sands China's August-December initiatives in support of the Macao government's Responsible Gambling Promotions 2020.

Photo caption: Sands China team members participate in a Gambling Disorder Sharing Workshop Nov. 13, where they had the opportunity to get a better understanding of gambling disorder and how to seek help for themselves or others. The activity was part of Sands China's August-December initiatives in support of the Macao government's Responsible Gambling Promotions 2020.

Photo caption: Sands China team members visit responsible gaming roadshows held between August and November 2020 at Sands Macao, The Venetian Macao, The Londoner Macao and The Parisian Macao. Sands China held the roadshows in support of the Macao government's Responsible Gambling Promotions 2020.