Macau’s Judiciary Police (PJ) has released the city’s gaming crime data for 2023, revealing there were 2,717 gaming-related crimes for the year – an increase of 181.6% compared to 2022 but down by around 50% compared to 2019.
According to the figures, there were 1,107 special investigations and complaints involving gaming cases in 2023, an increase of 736 cases compared to 2022. These included 1,604 streamline investigations on gaming cases, an increase of 1,024 cases compared to 2022, but only six “requested” investigations on gaming cases, a decrease of eight cases compared to 2022.
The total 2,717 gaming-related cases comprised an increase of 1,752 cases from the 965 in 2022, but a decrease of 2,711 from 2019.
The cases included 257 cases of gaming-related fraud, up by 171 cases from 86 cases in 2022 but down by 199 cases from 456 cases in 2019.
However, there were no fraud cases involving online gambling in 2023.
PJ Commissioner Sit Chong Meng told media that there has been a significant decrease in serious betting cases in 2023, while his agency – working alongside the Public Security Police and with the assistance of Macau’s concessionaires – had caught 11,000 money exchange gang members. Of these, 2,048 were subsequently prohibited from entering the city’s casinos by the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ).
Sit said, “The gaming industry in Macau is developing healthily in the right direction, and serious crimes such as illegal gambling and money laundering through gaming operations have basically disappeared.”
