Sands China Ltd, the Macau arm of the US-based gaming operator Las Vegas Sands Corp, has made it to the list of top-performing companies in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives issued by credit rating agency S&P Global Ratings.

Sands China Ltd Included in S&P’s 2023 Sustainability Yearbook

Sands China Ltd, which operates multiple gaming properties in Macau, is among 88 companies out of 1,600 achieving top rankings in S&P Global’s Corporate Sustainability Assessment for 2022. The firms were evaluated based on sustainability criteria specific to their respective industries. 

Those belonging to the top 15 percent, including Sands China, are featured in the Chinese edition of S&P Global’s 2023 Sustainability Yearbook. Sands China owns and operates the Londoner Macao, the Parisian Macao, and the Venetian Macao casino resorts in Cotai, as well as the Sands Macao casino-hotel locate in the heart of the Macau peninsula.

Sands China Welcomes ESG Recognition 

Sands China President Wilfred Wong Ying Wai welcomed the recognition by S&P which he said is a testament to the company’s long-standing commitment to corporate social responsibility. Globally, Sands China’s parent firm Las Vegas Sands Corp was also included in the top 1 percent for its ESG efforts. S&P Global’s sustainability assessment covers more than 10,000 companies from various industries across the globe.

Crown Resorts is placing increased focus on safer gambling with the upcoming launch of a digital self-exclusion system that will allow customers to ban themselves from Crown casinos via an online portal. 

This means players experiencing gambling problems no longer have to personally visit Crown’s designated responsible gambling center to request for their names to be blocked from gaming venues run by the operator. 

New Safer Gambling Program for Crown

The digital self-exclusion platform forms part of Crown’s new safer gambling program which will also see the group form a gambling policy team that will be tasked with tracking customers’ gaming behavior and putting in place interventions to protect them from gambling harm. 

Crown has introduced a series of new measures to promote safer gambling and improve player protection since it became the subject of inquiries in all Australian states where it operates over allegations of money laundering, fraud, and other illegal practices.

Crown Committed to Creating Safer Environment for Players

The casino operator was ordered by authorities to go through a remediation program to fix its system after being found unfit to hold a gaming license in Australia. The group has been proactive so far in this aspect, introducing new measures such as limiting gambling hours and requiring customers to take breaks every three hours. Additionally, Crown has also transitioned to cashless gaming at its Melbourne and Sydney properties.

Norwegian gambling operator Norsk Tipping will have to reduce its advertising spend by at least 20% in 2023 under an order by the country’s gambling regulator, Lottstift. Norsk Tipping holds a monopoly on betting and lottery in Norway and is one of only two operators (the other being Rikstoto) permitted to promote their products and services on national media. 

Norsk Tipping Must Reduce Advertising Spend by NOK 45 Million

Lottstift has ordered Norsk Tipping to cut its advertising spend by NOK 45 million (around €5 million) as part of the government’s efforts to reduce the exposure of children and other vulnerable people to gambling ads. 

With unlicensed gambling operators now unable to promote their services to Norwegian customers via key marketing channels including digital TV, there is no need for Norsk Tipping to maintain a high exposure, and must therefore implement major changes to conform with the shift in Norway’s gambling market, Lottstift stated.

Norsk Tipping Has Until Aug. 11 to Comply

Norsk Tipping already cut its advertising spend from NOK 314 million to NOK 227 million earlier this year over potential regulatory risks. The gambling monopoly has until August 11 to submit a plan to further reduce its advertising budget as per Lottstift’s order. It may also appeal the decision under Norway’s gambling laws.

Texas Hold’em is rarely offered by casino operators in Macau as it does not drive that much revenue compared to other segments, and that continues to be the case in 2023, with just one or two venues running poker tables, according to industry analysts. 

However, the popular poker variant is performing way better this year in terms of gross gaming revenue (GGR) compared to 2022, based on the latest figures from Macau’s gaming regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ).

Low Profitability

GGR linked to Texas Hold’em poker hit a record high of MOP446 million (US$55.4 million) in 2019, but that was it. The segment failed to sustain its momentum as figures dropped significantly to MOP35 million in 2020 and further fell to MOP10 million in 2022. 

Gaming industry consultant Alidad Tash of 2NT8 Ltd said Macau operators remain hesitant to offer poker games because of their low profitability, with casinos only making a fraction of the winnings, as opposed to other games where the house gets the entire winnings if the player loses.

In 2023 though, poker-related revenue is on an upward trend, with Q1 figures already sitting at MOP 90 million. Still, this represents modest growth for the segment.

Poker Has “Spillover” Effect

MGM China Holdings launched a poker room at its MGM Macau and MGM Cotai properties, according to Citigroup analysts George Choi and Ryan Cheung. 

While operators like MGM cannot rely on the revenue generated by their poker offerings, they can benefit from the “spillover” effect, said gaming lecturer Ryan Ho Hong Wai.

The head of NHS England has raised concerns over the impact of sponsorship deals between betting companies and football clubs on young fans. Amanda Pritchard said such agreements expose kids to gambling and make them believe that engaging in the activity is ok. 

New Addiction Clinics to Open this Summer

Pritchard made the comments as the NHS reported a massive rise in addiction referrals in 2022-23, with the numbers reaching a record 1,389, up from 1,013 in 2021-22 and 775 in 2020-2021. 

NHS England will open seven more clinics in multiple locations throughout the country, in addition to the existing eight, to deal with the increasing number of patients seeking help and support. The new clinics will begin operating this summer.

On June 29, a coroner’s inquest into a gambling-related suicide case found that the betting firm in question, Betfair, failed to intervene when the victim’s gambling activity soared resulting in massive debts in the weeks before ending his own life.  

Gambling operators and betting firms continue to target Brits through heavy gambling advertising and sponsorship deals with football firms. Pritchard wants these two areas to be address in a bid to curb the growing rate of problem gambling addiction in the UK.