The Office of the Secretary for Security of Macau announced Monday the crime figures for the first half of 2024, revealing the number of fraud cases derived from “money exchange gangs” increased by 267 cases year-on-year, or 317% higher year-on-year.
According to the data, there were also a total of 683 gaming-related investigations in 1H24, a year-on-year increase of 261 cases or 61.8% higher versus the same period in 2019.
Among the gaming-related crimes, fraud cases dominated with a total of 159 cases accounting for 23.3% of the total, followed by loansharking cases, with 122 cases, accounting for 17.9% of the total. Fraud cases from money exchange gangs are published separately and are not included in the gaming-related crime data.
In the first half of the year, the police intercepted a total of 2,215 money exchange gang members, of which 2,072 non-resident gang members were subjected to deportation and prohibition of entry measures, while 1,540 were notified by DICJ of a prohibition of entering Macau’s casino imposed on them.
Police noted that the most significant type of offence derived from “money exchange gangs” in the first half of 2024 was fraud, with a total of 351 cases, an increase of 267 cases and 262 cases compared to the same period in 2023 and 2019 respectively.
Discussing this rise in gaming offences, Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak pointed to the recovery of Macau’s tourism industry.
“The increase is related to the continued increase in the number of tourists visiting Macau and the recovery of the gaming industry,” he said.
“The police will continue to inspect casinos and their surroundings, focusing on combating illegal money-changing activities. The number of gaming-related crimes in the first half of this year is already significantly lower than that of 2019.”
Police in Macau and mainland China have recently stepped up their efforts to crack down on Macau’s “money exchange gangs” and have set up a special program to follow up. The Macau legislature has also announced plans to criminalize “money exchange gangs” in the near future.
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