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Macau is once again in the spotlight but not just for its casinos. In the first quarter of 2025, crime linked to gambling saw a huge jump, with 567 cases reported. That’s a 61.5% increase from the same time in 2024. But why is this happening now?
The reason is simple: A New law
New Law Targets Illegal Money Exchange
In late October 2024, Macau introduced a new rule called the Anti-Illegal Gambling Crime Law. It clearly says that running or helping with illegal money exchange for gambling is a serious crime.
Locals call these people “money exchangers”, and they’ve been a problem in and around casinos for years.
In early 2025, 132 cases were reported under this new law. This type of crime alone is more than 60% of the total rise in gambling-related offences. It shows that the law is working, but also that these operations were bigger than expected.
Fewer Arrests, But Smarter Catches
Here’s something surprising: Even though crime cases went up, arrests went down. In the first three months of 2024, there were 1,292 arrests of suspected money exchangers. This year, that number dropped to just 251 arrests an 80.6% decrease.
So what’s happening?
Experts say this drop means fewer people are working illegally, likely because the new law and strict actions are scaring them off.
Also, 157 cases were solved in this quarter alone. Some of these were rechecked and reclassified under the new law. This shows that Macau’s police are now more organized and smarter in dealing with gambling crimes.
Big Arrests Across Borders
Macau is not alone in this fight. In March 2025, Macau police worked with mainland China officials and broke up two huge criminal gangs.
- One group used fake delivery businesses
- The other used jewelry shops to move money illegally
Together, these gangs handled almost HK$790 million (about US$101.5 million). Over 60 people were arrested in this joint operation.
This shows that teamwork between regions is working, and it’s a big step toward keeping casino areas safe.
Other Crimes in Casinos
Money exchange is not the only problem. Here’s a look at other gambling-related crimes from Jan–Mar 2025:
- Fraud – 152 cases (26.8%)
- Loan sharking (usury) – 51 cases (9%)
- Theft – 46 cases (8.1%)
- Misuse of funds (misappropriation) – 38 cases (6.7%)
- Breaking casino bans – 21 cases (3.7%)
Fraud, in particular, has become a bigger problem, doubling compared to last year. Other types of crimes mostly went down.
Who’s Behind the Crimes?
Out of 679 suspects, over 82% were non-Macau residents. Same with the victims out of 333 people affected, more than 91% were visitors, not locals.
This tells us that most casino crimes involve people from outside Macau, both as criminals and as victims. Local people are much less involved.
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