Macau sees rise in gaming-related crimes and suspicious transaction reports
Fraud and illegal currency exchange cases drove the increase, while illegal gambling lending declined.
Macau.- There’s been a rise in both the number of gaming-related crimes and suspicious transaction reports in Macau. Some 1,951 gaming-related crimes were recorded between January and September 2026, an increase of 12.3 per cent 1,737 in the same period last year, according to figures released by the Office of the Secretary for Security on October 9.
Gaming-related fraud was the largest category, with 558 cases, up 21.3 per cent year on year. Illegal currency exchange for gambling purposes, which became a criminal offence in October 2024, followed with 404 cases, an increase of 11.9 per cent.
Reports of illegal lending for gambling fell 12.6 per cent to 132 cases, while unlawful detention linked to such lending declined 57.1 per cent to nine cases. Gaming-related assault cases rose 26.6 per cent to 81, while violations of casino entry bans fell 42.2 per cent to 63 cases.
In July, Judiciary Police arrested 15 people suspected of involvement in a criminal group linked to casino security staff. The alleged offences included criminal association, extortion and coercion. Investigators suspected that members of the group had identified people who committed offences inside casinos and demanded money in exchange for not reporting them to the authorities.
Macau’s Judiciary Police also worked with the gaming industry to block more than 77,000 illegal gambling websites during the first nine months of 2026 through an established cooperation mechanism.
Rise in suspicious transaction reports in Macau
Meanwhile, Macau’s gaming operators filed 2,968 suspicious transaction reports (STRs) in the first nine months of 2026, up 7.9 per cent from 2,751 in the same period last year. Figures published by the Financial Intelligence Office (GIF) of the Unitary Police Service on October 9 showed that gaming operators accounted for 71.7 per cent of Macau’s 4,138 suspicious transaction reports between January and September, down from from 73.3 per cent a year earlier.
Across all reporting sectors, the GIF received 4,138 reports in the first nine months of 2025, a 10.3 per cent increase year-on-year. Financial institutions and insurance companies submitted 839 reports, up 6.3 per cent. Reports from other entities rose to 331 from 212, an increase of 56.1 per cent.
