Las Vegas Sands has surpassed its long-term volunteer commitments after staff were recruited to provide Covid-19 support in the Asian gaming hub of Macau.
The operator exceeded its 2025 goal of contributing 150,000 team member volunteer hours to support local communities, with 192,330 volunteer hours provided to date since 2021.
Team member volunteer support was particularly significant during the Covid-19 pandemic in Macau, where community testing and vaccinations were supported by Sands’ staff.The US giant boasts five integrated resort properties in Macau, which provide a combined total of more than 12,000 rooms and suites.
Its properties include The Venetian Macao and The Londoner Macao.
The region, widely considered the biggest gambling market in the world, was restricted by Covid-19 lockdowns for the best part of two years, which negatively impacted the bottom line of leading casino operators in the region, including Sands.
The Macau market, which is the only market in China to offer legal casino gambling, experienced a significant decline in gross gaming revenues in 2022.
This culminated in a combined market annual decrease of 51.4% and 85.6% compared to 2021 and 2019, respectively, due to the impact of the pandemic.
However, Las Vegas Sands has remained bullish over the market’s recovery, insisting that visitation will return to pre-pandemic levels.“We believe we will continue to experience Macao market-leading visitation and are focused on driving high-margin mass market gaming, while providing luxury amenities and high service levels to our VIP and premium players,” said the firm in its 2022 financial report.
Prior to the pandemic, Macau drew a significant number of customers who were visitors or residents of Hong Kong.
Sands welcomed approximately six million visitors to Macau in 2022, compared to approximately eight million visitors in 2021.
After beating its previously stated volunteer targets, Sands now intends to set a new target to reach by 2025, which will be presented in the company’s 2023 ESG Report.The company is also aiming to invest $200m in workforce development initiatives to advance team members and local talent in the hospitality industry by 2025.
The company invested $56m of its $200m target in 2022, resulting in a total of $113m since 2021.
The operator’s full 2022 ESG report can be accessed here.