Macau’s Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, announced Friday that gaming-related crime had fallen by 41.6% in 2022, with 371 cases reported compared with 635 cases in 2021.
These included 86 cases of fraud, down 56.1%; 44 cases of of orders, down 31.3% percent; 34 cases of improper appropriation, down 47.7% percent; 33 cases of loan sharking, down 53.5%; and 26 cases of theft, down 40.9%.
A total of 272 mainlanders were involved in gambling crimes, while 147 were from Macau and 10 were from Hong Kong.
Victims of gaming crimes are also predominantly Mainlanders, with a total of 129 Mainlanders being victims, compared to 72 Macau locals and 10 from Hong Kong.
Such a significant decline comes as no great surprise, with police noting that trends in gaming-related crime traditionally coincide with fluctuations in visitor volumes to Macau, and in 2022 because of more severe COVID-19 outbreaks compared to 2021.
Wong added, “The SAR government launched the gambling license bidding process in September last year and announced the results in late November. Up to now, no negative impact from the gambling license bidding on public order has been found.
“According to relevant information and intelligence, no triad organizations or members related to the gambling industry were found … last year due to the introduction of new gambling laws and the downturn in the gambling industry.”
Taking into account all crime committed in Macau in 2022, Wong revealed 9,799 cases last year – a decline of 13.9% on 2021 numbers and the lowest in four years. Between 2019 and 2022, crime figures totalled 14,178, 10,057, 11,376, and 9,799 respectively.
The data, according to Wong, shows that Macau remains a secure and safe city.
