According to latest figures from the Office of the Secretary for Security of Macau, there were 1,021 gaming-related crime cases in the first three quarters of 2024, an increase of 305 cases or 42.6% over the same period of 2023 but a decrease of 578 cases or 36.1% over the same period of 2019.
Among the gaming crime cases in the first three quarters, the most common were fraud cases with 254 cases or 24.9% of the total, followed by loansharking cases with 195 cases or 19.1% of the total.
As for the identity of the offenders, in the first three quarters, gaming crimes were mainly committed by mainland residents, with 956 persons. There were 219 crimes by Macau residents and 66 by Hong Kong residents.
In addition, “money exchange gangs” continued to be the most concerned group for the security sector. Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak pointed out that in the first three quarters, the Judiciary Police and Public Security Police intercepted a total of 2,835 “money exchange gangs” during their various operations. Among those, 2,635 non-Macau residents who were not involved in criminal cases were subjected to anti-entry measures, while the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) was notified of 1,677 non-Macau residents so they could adopt anti-entry measures to prohibit them from entering casinos.
Wong pointed out that “the total number of gaming-related crimes in the first three quarters has increased compared to the same period last year but is significantly lower than the same period in 2019, before the pandemic”.
He added that “the increase in cases is believed to be related to the increased uncertainty brought about by the increase in visitors and the recovery of the gaming industry.
“The police have continued to exchange and cooperate with mainland police departments and have successively cracked a number of cross-border criminal syndicates involved in money exchange gangs,” he said. “With the entry into force of the relevant laws, the criminalization of illegal money exchange will further reduce the room for the activities of money exchange gangs”.
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