MACAU, June 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited (NASDAQ:MLCO) (“Melco Resorts & Entertainment”, “Melco” or the “Company”) is a developer, owner and operator of gaming and entertainment resort facilities. Responsible Gaming has been one of the Company’s corporate social responsibility priorities since the beginning. As part of its continuous effort to reinforce a responsible gaming culture and to provide further education and understanding of responsible gaming to employees, Melco held a leadership forum yesterday at City of Dreams, where Mr. Paulo Martins Chan, Director of the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) of Macau, was the honorable speaker.

Melco Resorts & Entertainment held a Leadership Forum on responsible gaming yesterday. Honorable speakers Mr. Paulo Martins Chan (4th from left), Director of DICJ, Prof. Davis Fong (3rd from left) from the University of Macau, Mr. Lawrence Lee (far left) from the Resilience Centre, took a photo with Mr. Liu Bin (3rd from right), Director of Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, Mr. Lawrence Ho (4th from right), Chairman and CEO, and other executives of Melco. Mr. Lawrence Ho provided an overview of the Company’s Responsible Gaming Steering Committee and the various programs it has launched over the past decade.

The Responsible Gaming Leadership Forum was attended by over 600 of Melco’s management staff. It began with presentations given by Melco’s executives, providing an overview of the Company’s Responsible Gaming Steering Committee and the various programs it has launched over the past decade. Mr. Paulo Chan then delivered a speech on the Macau SAR Government’s policies and practices on promoting responsible gaming, followed by presentations from experts in the areas of responsible gaming – Prof. Davis Fong, Director of Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming, and Mr. Lawrence Lee, Addiction Psychologist and Clinical Supervisor, Resilience Centre (Gambling Addiction Treatment Service of the Macau Government). Prof. Fong discussed research results related to responsible gaming, and the role of gaming operators in the establishment of a responsible gaming culture. Mr. Lee further elaborated on the clinical psychology of the players, and how early intervention can prevent addiction.

Mr. Paulo Chan said at the forum, “Promoting responsible gaming is one of the key areas in the Policy Address of the Macau SAR Government. The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau and the relevant government departments maintain close communication with the gaming operators and civic organizations to formulate policies and measures to prevent gaming patrons from becoming problem gamblers, and help problem gamblers to return to their normal social life and work. The Macau SAR Government is glad to see that the gaming operators actively arrange their employees to participate in training regularly, equipped them with the knowledge of responsible gambling so that they can offer immediate assistance for people in need.”

Prof. Davis Fong said, “Establishing a responsible gaming culture requires collaborative efforts from all stakeholders – including gaming operators, the SAR Government, non-governmental organizations, researchers, public health professionals, and the general public. The University of Macau has been working closely with Melco on raising awareness of responsible gaming. The generous support Melco provided the University in the past decade has enabled programs related to the subject, including research development and information sharing. These programs have raised the awareness of responsible gaming and promote its importance in the society.”

Mr. Lawrence Ho, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Melco, said, “Responsible gaming is an important priority at Melco. We strive for the healthy development of the industry and the specialization of gaming management. Since its establishment in 2007, our Responsible Gaming Steering Committee has been working closely with the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau to ensure strict compliance and implementation of our responsible gaming strategies. Internally, new employees from both gaming and non-gaming departments are required to take the responsible gaming training as part of their orientation. We also organize responsible gaming activities regularly to reinforce employees’ knowledge, such as forums, trivia, and photography competitions.

“Externally, we partner with the Macau Government, educational institutes and professional counseling services to promote responsible gaming practices among our employees, customers and the general public. We also actively participate in annual events such as the Responsible Gaming Awareness Week, and support DICJ’s Self-Exclusion and Third-party Exclusion Applications measure.”

Melco Resorts & Entertainment’s commitment in promoting responsible gaming is widely recognized. The Company was the first casino operator to step up its security measures and installed facial recognition systems in its casinos in Macau in 2016 to prevent banned personnel, including problem gamblers, from entering.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
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Melco Resorts & Entertainment - Innovating excitement for a new age.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. These factors include, but are not limited to, (i) growth of the gaming market and visitation in Macau and the Philippines, (ii) capital and credit market volatility, (iii) local and global economic conditions, (iv) our anticipated growth strategies, (v) gaming authority and other governmental approvals and regulations, and (vi) our future business development, results of operations and financial condition. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as "may", "will", "expect", "anticipate", "target", "aim", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "believe", "potential", "continue", "is/are likely to" or other similar expressions. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law. 

About Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited
The Company, with its American depositary shares listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (NASDAQ:MLCO), is a developer, owner and operator of casino gaming and entertainment casino resort facilities in Asia. The Company currently operates Altira Macau (www.altiramacau.com), a casino hotel located at Taipa, Macau and City of Dreams (www.cityofdreamsmacau.com), an integrated urban casino resort located in Cotai, Macau. Its business also includes the Mocha Clubs (www.mochaclubs.com), which comprise the largest non-casino based operations of electronic gaming machines in Macau. The Company also majority owns and operates Studio City (www.studiocity-macau.com), a cinematically-themed integrated entertainment, retail and gaming resort in Cotai, Macau. In the Philippines, a Philippine subsidiary of the Company currently operates and manages City of Dreams Manila (www.cityofdreams.com.ph), a casino, hotel, retail and entertainment integrated resort in the Entertainment City complex in Manila. For more information about the Company, please visit www.melco-resorts.com. The Company is strongly supported by its single largest shareholder, Melco International Development Limited, a company listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited and is substantially owned and led by Mr. Lawrence Ho, who is the Chairman, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

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For media enquiries, please contact:
Maggie Ma
Chief Officer, Corporate Communications and Corporate Affairs
Tel: +853 8868 3767 or +852 3151 3767
Email: maggiema@melco-resorts.com

Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited