A total of 965 gaming-related crimes were reported in Macau in 2022, a decrease of 407 cases, or nearly 30%, compared to 1,372 cases in 2021.
On Tuesday, Macau’s Judiciary Police (PJ) released its report on criminal filings and enforcement work for 2022. A total of 8,612 files were opened by the Judicial Police last year, a decrease of 10.1% compared to 2021, of which 4,470 cases were investigated and prosecuted, a decrease of 9.1%. There were also 1,265 people referred to the Public Prosecutions Office by the PJ last year, a decrease of 30.9% year-on-year.
Among the various categories of cases, 965 cases were related to gambling, of which 33 were gaming-related loan shark cases, down 54% from 2021. There were 1,196 gaming-related fraud cases in 2022, 10 cases fewer than a year earlier.
The PJ also intercepted over 3,500 “Money Exchange Gang” instances last year and reported 126 to the Gaming Inspection and Coordination (DICJ) Bureau to be banned from casinos.
There was one murder case in Macau in 2022, which occurred on 7 May when a mainland Chinese man killed two mainland women in a hotel room at MGM Cotai, before fleeing to the mainland and being arrested by Chinese public security officials 10 days later.
According to the PJ, “the decrease in gaming-related cases last year was mainly due to the decrease in visitors and gaming activities.”
However, Macau’s relaxation of its anti-epidemic policy since 8 January year has already led to a significant increase in inbound visitors. The PJ said, “In view of the increase in the number of visitors to Macau and the new stage of epidemic prevention, the Judicial Police have made advance preparations to strengthen the prevention and combat of various crimes.
“The Judiciary Police will work closely with gaming companies to conduct joint patrols in a timely manner and will create a collaborative mechanism to combat fake websites in the name of Macau gaming companies.”
