Casino Suspicious Transaction Reports Rise 7.9 Percent to 2,968 in First Nine Months, Financial Intelligence Office Says
MACAO — Macao's six gaming concessionaires filed 2,968 suspicious transaction reports (STRs) between January and September 2026, up 7.9 percent year on year, according to the Financial Intelligence Office. Macao media reported the figures on October 12. The Office said the increase in gaming-sector filings was the main driver of the overall rise in STRs.
In total, the Office received 4,138 reports in the nine months, up 10.3 percent year on year. By source, gaming concessionaires accounted for 71.7 percent, banks, insurers and other financial institutions for 20.3 percent, and other institutions and entities for 8 percent. Designated businesses — including pawnshops, jewellers, real estate agents and auction houses — are required to report transactions at or above a threshold of MOP 500,000.
An STR filing is part of the anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing regime and does not in itself establish wrongdoing: reporting entities submit transactions that appear suspicious, the Financial Intelligence Office analyses them, and cases showing indications of crime are referred to the Public Prosecutions Office. For the full year 2025, the Office received 4,925 reports, down 6.1 percent, after the total had hit a record high the year before.
The release came as gaming-related security figures also drew attention. Data published by the Office of the Secretary for Security on October 9 showed gaming-related crime rose in the first nine months, led by fraud and illegal money-exchange cases, while loan-sharking and unlawful-detention cases associated with the old junket era continued to fall. The Financial Intelligence Office and gaming regulators said reporting, inspections and inter-agency cooperation would continue to uphold compliance in Macao's financial and gaming sectors.
Sources: Compiled from suspicious transaction report data released by the Financial Intelligence Office and Macao media reporting of October 12, 2026.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 路氹金光大道建筑群，WiNG 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0（Wikimedia Commons）
