Macau’s Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, has released the “Assessment Report on the Impact of the Current Situation of the Gaming Industry in Macau on the Public Security Situation in Macau” for the three months to 31 March 2022, revealing the number of gaming crimes fell significantly to 52 – mainly due to border restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent decline in tourist numbers.
However, the Secretary pointed out that due to the continuous spread of COVID-19, which has negatively impacted the gaming industry, unemployment pressure still exists and factors destabilizing the social order in Macau will continue to appear.
“Because the gaming industry is a pillar industry in Macau, various comprehensive problems arising during its development will inevitably have a significant impact on the development of the industry, and may also have an impact on social security and social stability,” the Secretary emphasized.
He also praised changes to Macau’s gaming law currently being discussed by the Legislative Assembly – particularly measures to clarify the future business model of satellite casinos and a proposal to provide tax breaks to concessionaires who successfully attract foreign visitors rather than relying on a single tourism source.
These changes, the Secretary said, were designed to make the future development of the gaming industry more standardized and would not bring direct pressure on the employment of workers within the gaming industry.
According to data from Macau’s Judiciary Police (PJ) on gambling-related crime – those traditionally linked to gambling such as usury, kidnapping, theft, swindling and robbery – the number of crimes recorded in the three months to 31 March 2022 was 52. This represented a decline on all four quarters in 2021, when crimes numbered 89, 113, 77 and 63 respectively.
The Secretary noted that, since the closure of some VIP clubs in December last year, there is no obvious indication that these employees have been engaged in criminal activities due to unemployment.
