The number of Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) issued by Macau’s gaming operators increased by 44.1% year-on-year to 595 in the three months to 31 March 2023, up from 413 in the prior year quarter according to data from the Financial Intelligence Office.
It was also 91.3% higher than the 311 STRs reported in the December 2022 quarter, reflecting the removal of most remaining border restrictions on 8 January 2023.
The rise in gaming industry STRs resulted in Macau-wide STRs increasing by 13.5% year-on-year to 817, despite Financial Institutions and Insurance Companies reporting a 28.0% drop to 157 and other institutions a 27.0% decline to 65 STRs.
The Financial Intelligence Office said STRs from gaming operators represented 72.6% of all STRs in Q1, up from 57.4% a year earlier.
