LAS VEGAS—Aiming to strengthen community safeguards and demonstrate leadership in addressing critical social issues, Las Vegas Sands announced Project Protect, a comprehensive global initiative to accelerate its performance in responsible gaming, anti-money laundering and human trafficking prevention.
As a global umbrella program to build defenses against these problems, Project Protect coalesces LVS’s efforts around policy and procedural enhancements in each of the core areas and introduces comprehensive team member training to build lasting solutions that meet and exceed government regulations and standard industry performance.
Project Protect kicked off with Team Member education activities timed around Responsible Gaming Education Week, August 6 to 10, in the United States and on the heels of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30. The new program is LVS’ third major global corporate social responsibility initiative, along with Sands Cares for philanthropic community engagement and Sands ECO360 for sustainability.
While LVS had previously addressed all of the issues targeted by Project Protect in some form in its regions around the world, the program’s introduction marks the formalization of its policies and procedures for addressing these issues at a uniform global level, corresponding to both international regulations and national laws in all of the company’s jurisdictions. In addition, Project Protect introduces comprehensive and systematized training and education to ensure team members, as well as all third parties doing business with the company, can implement and adhere to policies and procedures in these areas.
‘Zero Tolerance for Negative or Harmful Activity’
“Our commitment to adhering to government and industry regulations has never wavered, but Project Protect takes a major step toward prevention and elimination of these issues at our properties by providing the right tools and education for our team members to identify problems and act swiftly and responsibly,” said Lon Jacobs, Executive Vice President and Global General Counsel. “Our goal is zero tolerance for negative or harmful activity in our properties to safeguard our guests, our Team Members and the communities where we operate.”
In partnership with Sands Academy, Project Protect trainings will span the company’s current industry-leading responsible gaming education programs, as well as add new curriculum to educate team members on global and regional money laundering and human trafficking threats, the risks to LVS’s guests and business, and how the hospitality industry can identify and best address problems. For example, team members will gain insight into the many forms of human trafficking, the signs that someone has become a trafficking victim, and how to respond in these situations.
“Project Protect complements our corporate social responsibility mission by enhancing and institutionalizing responsible business practices in the areas that most negatively impact our industry,” said Ron Reese, Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Communications and Corporate Affairs. “The program represents our deep commitment to making our communities not only safe but thriving places to live and work.”
