Macau crime rise linked to new enforcement against illegal gambling
Gaming crime rose by 63 per cent in the first five months of the year.
Macau.- Police have attributed a 62.9 per cent increase in gaming-related crimes in the first five months of 2025 to enhanced enforcement following the implementation of new legislation. Speaking at a recent briefing, Sit Chong Meng, director of Macau’s Judiciary Police (PJ), said that 943 gaming-related criminal cases were registered between January and May
He noted that the rise was largely driven by cases involving unlicensed money exchange for gambling, which was criminalised under the Law to Combat Crimes of Illegal Gambling enacted in late October 2024.
Sit said 204 of the gaming-related cases, over 21 per cent, involved illegal currency exchange. Since the law came into effect, the PJ has investigated 323 such cases and arrested 481 people. Offenders may face up to five years in prison and casino-entry bans ranging from two to ten years.
Macau’s Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, affirmed at a May press conference that the new law has been effective in addressing illegal gambling. The total number of criminal cases initiated by the PJ this year dipped by 1.1 per cent.
