Sands China RG Activity Helps Teach Financial Management to Next Generation

Parent-Child Financial Management Challenge offers fun way for parents and children to practice wise financial management concepts together

(Macao, Dec. 31, 2021) – More than 1,400 families recently participated in a Parent-Child Financial Management Challenge – "Responsible Gaming x Virtual Learning" organised by Sands China Ltd., as part of the company's ongoing support of the Macao government's "Lost Control, Lose Family" responsible gaming campaign.

The challenge, which took place in November and December, aimed to foster a strong and healthy habit of smart financial management and expenditure tracking in children while encouraging meaningful parent-child interaction. Sands China distributed activity kits to the participants, which comprised Sands China team members, members of the public who signed up through local non-profit organisations, and students from local schools. Each kit consisted of a piggy bank, a savings journal, and a QR code to access three instructional videos as a guide for completing the challenge. The challenge spanned 30 days and was completed by children with the help of their parents.

Sands China's Responsible Gaming department and the Youth Volunteers Association of Macao created the kit's three instructional online videos for participants to watch at the start, midpoint and endpoint of the challenge. The videos provided useful information and benchmarking through role play, which allowed children to gauge their progress and encouraged them to continue the challenge.

The activity was created to be fun and engaging, and promoted the following key messages:
1. Living within your means
2. Opportunity cost
3. Parent-child communication
4. Treasuring resources
5. Making preparation for unexpected events

"Sands China was very pleased to offer this Parent-Child Financial Management Challenge, as it promotes the importance of parental engagement in instilling financial management concepts into children's minds in a fun way," said Dr. Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd. "By encouraging smart financial management for a better future, we hope to spread the concept of responsible gaming to every corner of the community, including schools and local service organisations, and to the next generation. Our thanks go to our team members, community members and the participating local organisations for joining in to take this challenge to support responsible gaming in Macao."

Among the kit's messages is the idea that, with the advent of digital wallets, the line between saving and spending has become blurred. Children, as a result, may find it difficult to embrace the concept of saving. In order to help them in this regard, the financial education in the kit seeks to establish in children's minds the "old value" concept that saving comes before spending; to strengthen the ability to differentiate between "needs" and wants;" and to provide an opportunity for children to handle money in the form of physical currency.

Feedback from the challenge has been overwhelmingly positive, with participants praising the cute design of the piggy bank, the detailed guidance, and the engaging videos. Many parents and families were attracted to participate in the activity; most of the participating children accepted the saving challenge and expressed that they were motivated to learn about financial management when they saw the piggy bank. With the success of the programme, Sands China hopes to incorporate similar financial education on digital wallets in future editions, with the hope to reach out to even more families.

The local non-profit organisations and schools participating in Sands China's Parent-Child Financial Management Challenge were the Sheng Kung Hui Macau Social Services Coordination Office, YMCA Macau, the Macao Gaming Industry Employees Home, the Youth Volunteers Association of Macao (AJVM), Colegio Diocesano de Sao Jose, and Escola dos Moradores do Bairro do Patane.

Sands China remains committed to the personal well-being of its team members and 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, in an effort to develop an environment and a culture of responsible gaming in Macao.

Photo caption: Sands China recently organised a Parent-Child Financial Management Challenge – "Responsible Gaming x Virtual Learning", as part of the company's ongoing support of the Macao government's "Lost Control, Lose Family" responsible gaming campaign. The challenge utilised a kit – consisting of a piggy bank and savings journal (left), and instructional videos (right) – to motivate children to develop a strong and healthy habit of smart financial management while encouraging meaningful parent-child interaction.