Macau recorded a total of 1,278 gaming-related crimes in the first half of 2026, representing an increase of 139 cases or 12.2%, compared to the same period last year.
According to the latest crime statistics released by the Office of the Secretary for Security on Thursday, this included 259 cases of illegal currency exchange (money exchange change gangs) in the first half of 2026, a year-on-year increase of 7.9%. Meanwhile, cases of unlawful lending for gambling (usury) and related unlawful detention (kidnapping) – crimes that have historically severely impacted public security – recorded 87 and six cases respectively, representing year-on-year decreases of 13.9% and 53.8%.
Among the various types of gaming-related crimes, multiple property and violent offenses recorded varying degrees of increases. Among them, fraud recorded 367 cases, a year-on-year increase of 70 cases or 23.6%; “abuse of trust” (misappropriation) recorded 29 cases, a sharp increase of 141.7%; “appropriation of lost property” (unlawful possession) rose by 25.3% to 109 cases; and theft recorded 97 cases, a year-on-year increase of 11.5%.
In terms of personal safety, cases of “bodily harm” (assault) rose from 36 cases in the same period last year to 49 cases, an increase of 36.1%, while extortion and blackmail cases remained at 15 cases, flat compared to last year.
The Office of the Secretary for Security pointed out that in April this year, the Judiciary Police (PJ) cooperated with mainland police to launch a joint operation that dismantled a cross-border “money exchange gang” syndicate. The operation resulted in the arrest of 25 individuals and the seizure of approximately HK$5.7 million (US$727,170) in cash linked to the case.
