Macau’s Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, said Monday there were a total of 9,653 criminal activities in the SAR between 1 January and 30 September 2023 of which 716 were gaming-related.
He also revealed that gaming-related crimes were up 176% year-on-year compared with a 31.7% increase for all crimes combined. Gaming-related crime was, however, down 55.2% compared with the same period in 2019.
According to Wong, the 716 gaming-related cases included 155 cases involving fraud – an increase of 90 cases or 139% year-on-year – and 129 cases of theft in casinos, an increase of 107 cases or 486% year-on-year.
The nine-month period also saw police intercept 9,633 “money exchange gang member”, an increase of 230% year-on-year, while the number of fraud cases involving “money changers” rose to 137.
Noting discussions earlier this year about the possible criminalization by Macau authorities of illicit money exchange activities around the city’s casinos, Wong said, “In order to further curb money exchange gang members and increase the cost of their offences, the relevant laws on illegal money exchange activities will be filled in and the penalties will be improved.
“Following in-depth research, the Judiciary Police has submitted a proposal on the feasibility of criminalizing illegal money exchange activities to the legal department.
“It is hoped this will increase the cost of their crimes and enhance the police’s efficiency in law enforcement.”
Gaming-related crime aside, Wong revealed there had been a significant increase in the number of cases related to telecommunication network fraud, especially those related to concert tickets, which totaled 135 cases in the first three quarters of the year.
“Since the outbreak, there have been changes in the public’s lifestyle and an increased reliance on the internet,” he said.
“At present, telecommunication network fraud has become the fastest growing type of crime in Macau and its neighboring regions.”
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