Due to the decrease in visitor arrivals, the number of gaming-related crimes in Macau from January to September 2022 was 257, a decrease of 245 cases or 48.8% compared to last year.
In 2022, the number of visitor arrivals in Macau from January to September reached 4.36 million, down 24.2% compared to 2021. This included just 9,759 arrivals in July, when Macau suffered an outbreak of COVID-19.
The reduction in visitor arrivals led to a significant drop in gaming offences, with 65 gaming-related fraud offences from January to September, down 99 cases year-on-year; 25 loansharking offences, down 30 cases year-on-year; 28 cases of unlawful appropriation, down 26 cases year-on-year; and only one detention offence, down 25 cases year-on-year.
From January to September, police conducted 43 inspections of casinos and intercepted 2,899 illegal money changers, a decrease of 55.4% compared to the same period last year.
The Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, said the continued decline in all types of crime was believed to be related to the drop in the number of tourists affected by the pandemic, as well as the police’s continued efforts to prevent and combat the problem.
However, he added, “The overall unemployment rate continued to rise. Although this factor is not clearly contributing to a worsening trend in law and order at the moment, the continued rise in unemployment is bound to bring about more instability and requires the Government and the community to be vigilant.”
RelatedPosts
