Macau casino crime figures drop in first half of 2022

August 24, 2022 Macau Crime & Legal

Macau’s Secretary for Security has announced the crime figures for the first half of 2022, with cases of casino fraud down by 56% compared to the same period last year.

There were 54 cases of casino fraud in the first half of the year, which was 70 cases fewer than the 124 cases in 1H21.

There were also 13 cases of theft in casinos – 12 less than the same period last year, while the number of fake chip cases detected in casinos numbered just one, involving HK$100,000 chips, compared to 65 cases involving HK$2 million in the same period last year, a decrease of 98%.

There was one murder cases versus two a year earlier, the lone case taking place on 7 May when two mainland Chinese women were killed at MGM Macau Hotel. The killer fled to Hunan Province after the crime and was arrested by Chinese public security officials on 17 May.

As for illegal money changers, the police intercepted 2,725 persons in the first half of the year, a decrease of 39.1% compared to 4,477 persons in the same period last year. However, the Secretary for Security pointed out that “most of the money changers are mainland Chinese and their numbers are related to the anti-epidemic policy … there is a gradual trend of professionalism and partnership.”

The total number of crimes involving the gaming industry in the first half of this year was 198, a decrease of 45% compared to 361 in 1H21.

“Omicron pneumonia around the world, and the emergence of the outbreak in Macau and neighboring regions, saw the number of visitors in Macau fall and the number of gambling crimes decrease,” the Secretary said.

In the first half of 2022, the police opened 4,983 criminal investigation cases in Macau, a decrease of 932 cases or 15.8% compared to the same period in 2021.

The Secretary noted that “the decline in gambling crime is significant and the rise in unemployment has not had a significant negative impact on public order, especially not directly on gambling-related crime.

“However, if the unemployment rate continues to rise in the future, various conflicts in the community will inevitably intensify, which will certainly bring more instability to the overall security of Macau.”