A crackdown by Macau police on illicit UnionPay card-swipe terminals has resulted in 51 arrests so far this year.
Portuguese news agency Luso says the arrests resulted from 40 investigations into the use of unregistered point-of-sale terminals, which have evolved into a popular means for enabling mainland Chinese gamblers to take more cash out of the country than is allowed under the government’s daily cap of 20,000 yuan (US$3,200).
Of those arrested, 39 were from the mainland and 12 from Macau, according to Luso, which says 34 of the 40 investigations have been referred to the Public Prosecutions Office.
News reports earlier this year revealed that large numbers of the devices were being smuggled into Macau from the mainland to process fake purchases disguised to appear as if they occurred within China. The South China Morning Post has cited analyst estimates that as much as 40 billion yuan ($6.4 billion) may have been spirited out of China in this way.
Macau authorities estimate illegal transactions this year at MOP300 million ($37.5 million) through August. UnionPay sales over the same period total US$22.5 billion, according to reports. The government has since moved to ban jewelry and watch shops from adding new terminals in their locations inside casinos.
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