Macau: gaming-related crime down 48.8% in year to September

Macau has reported 257 gaming-related crimes from January to September 2022.

Macau.- Macau’s Judiciary Police have shared crime statistics for the first nine months of the year, showing that cases of gaming-related crime were down 48.8 per cent year-on-year from 502 to 257. However, the drop was mainly due to lower tourist arrivals to Macau due to Covid-19 outbreaks and associated travel restrictions.

However, authorities said the decrease in gaming-related crimes was also the results of a stronger police presence in the city’s casinos and nearby areas, which led to more inspections. There were 25 cases of gambling-related usury compared to 55 last year. Meanwhile, police dealt with one case of unlawful detention compared with 26 in the same period last year.

See also: Macau police to set up anti-fraud communication channel with casinos

The data also showed that in the first nine months of 2022, there were 65 fraud cases, a year-on-year decrease of 60.4 per cent. As for illegal money-changing activities, cases dropped by 55.4 per cent to 2,899. In 2021 as a whole, Macau’s judicial police filed 1,372 cases of gambling-related crimes, an increase of 23.2 per cent over the previous year.

See also: Macau aims to leave behind its reputation as a city for gambling