84 arrested since Macau gambling crimes bill entered force
Some 60 cases were linked to alleged illegal gambling.
Macau.- The Judiciary Police (PJ) has reported that 84 people have been arrested for alleged involvement in illegal gambling activities since the bill on Combating Illegal Gambling Crimes came into effect in October. Among those arrested are nine people from Macau, one person from Hong Kong, and 74 residents of mainland China.
The PJ logged 60 cases of illegal gambling between October 29 and November 30. Unlicensed foreign exchange accounted for 86.67 per cent of cases (52). The remaining cases were related to fraud and theft. Police seized about HK$7.47m (US$960,000) in cash, along with HK$2.13m in gaming chips and mobile phones.
The bill on Combating Illegal Gambling Crimes bans currency exchange for gambling and the operation, promotion, and organisation of online gambling and mutual betting irrespective of the physical location of systems and devices. It also introduces provisions enabling searches of residences from 9pm to 7am and prohibits the sale of the Mark Six lottery organised by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC).
Macau gaming taxes reach US$10.12bn in first 11 months of the year
The Financial Services Bureau has reported that Macau collected MOP81.04bn (US$10.12bn) in taxes from casino operations in the first 11 months of the year. The figure was up 37.2 per cent when compared to the same period last year and represents 96.9 per cent of the government’s target of MOP83.61bn (US$10.4bn) for the full year. The total represents 80.64 per cent of all government revenue during the period.
In November, the Macau government collected MOP8bn (US$1bn). That’s a 20.35 per cent rise compared to the preceding month and an increase of 6.4 per cent in year-on-year terms. GGR for the month was MOP18.4bn (US$2.31bn). That’s a decrease of 11.3 per cent compared to the previous month and a rise of 14.9 per cent in year-on-year terms. Compared to the same month in 2019, the figure was down by 19.4 per cent.
