Macau Gaming-Related Crime Up 12.3% to 1,951 Cases in January-September, Led by Fraud and Illegal Currency Exchange
Macau recorded 1,951 gaming-related crimes in the first nine months of 2026, up 12.3 percent from 1,737 a year earlier, according to crime statistics published on Oct. 9 by the Office of the Secretary for Security, as cited by Macau gaming industry media. Fraud was the largest category, with 558 cases, up 21.3 percent year on year and accounting for about 28.6 percent of all gaming-related cases; illegal currency exchange for gambling purposes came second with 404 cases, up 11.9 percent — an offence criminalised in Macau in October 2024. Cases of illegal lending for gambling fell 12.6 percent to 132, while related unlawful detention dropped 57.1 percent to nine and casino-entry-ban breaches fell 42.2 percent to 63; gaming-related assault rose 26.6 percent to 81. The security authorities said total crime under criminal investigation fell 0.9 percent to 9,966, with serious violent crime remaining low, but said gaming-related illegal activity required continued attention and pledged stronger preventive measures. The statistics also noted a July investigation in which the Judiciary Police arrested 15 alleged members of a group linked to Cotai casino security staff on suspicion of organised crime, extortion and coercion, and that more than 77,000 illegal gambling websites were blocked in the period. (GSM, compiled from the Security office figures and industry media)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：澳门新葡京酒店夜景（资料图）。Diego Delso 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，取自维基共享资源。Photo: Casino Grand Lisboa at night (file photo). By Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
