Macau gaming-related crimes rise 3.2% in Q1
Fraud remained the largest category.
Macau.- The Office of the Secretary for Security has reported that gaming-related crimes rose by 3.2 per cent year-on-year to 585 in the first quarter of the year.
Fraud remained the largest category, with 162 cases, up 6.6 per cent year-on-year. It accounted for about 27.7 per cent of all gaming-linked offences during the period.
Unlicensed money exchange linked to casino activity fell 9.8 per cent year-on-year to 119 cases, following stricter enforcement under the updated gambling crime framework introduced in late 2024. Illegal lending for gambling fell 11.8 per cent to 45 cases, while unlawful detention associated with such lending dropped 40 per cent to three cases.
Several smaller crime categories moved in the opposite direction. Bodily harm cases linked to gaming activity doubled to 20, a 100 per cent increase. Breach of trust rose to 16 cases, up 128.6 per cent, while misappropriation increased 34.2 per cent to 51 cases. Cases involving criminal groups linked to gambling rose from two to three.
Illegal gambling cases declined 13.7 per cent to 139 during the period.
Gaming-related offences accounted for about 17.6 per cent of the city’s total 3,332 crimes in the quarter, which rose 1.3 per cent year-on-year. Authorities said serious violent crimes, including homicide, kidnapping and aggravated assault, remained at very low levels during the period.
