• About Us
  • The Team
  • Advertise with Us

The latest news on the gaming industry in Asia

() () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () ()
  • Home
  • Macau
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • Japan
  • Rest of Asia
  • World
  • Industry Talk
  • Trends & Tech
  • iGaming
  • follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • RSS Feed
    • LinkedIn

Gaming-linked Macau crime down 79 pct in 2020: police

Feb 01, 2021 Newsdesk Latest News, Macau, Top of the deck  


Gaming-linked Macau crime down 79 pct in 2020: police

Macau recorded 1,114 “gaming-related” crimes during 2020, down 79 percent on the 5,428 identified in 2019, according to the latest statistics published on Monday by the city’s Judiciary Police.

The Judiciary Police said a “drastic decline” in tourist volume during calendar-year 2020 was a factor in the decline of gaming-related crimes.

Macau’s Public Security Police, the agency responsible for immigration control, had said on January 12 there had been an 85-percent year-on-year decline in tourist arrivals for 2020, to 5.92 million, amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Judiciary Police recorded in 2020 a total of 72 usury cases – i.e.,loan sharking – related to gambling, compared to 602 such cases in 2019; and 554 in 2018, according to the police’s data issued on Monday.

During 2020, the police handled 32 unlawful-detention cases that involved usury activities, as compared to 344 such cases in 2019; and 308 in 2018.

“One trend…worthy of… attention… is that as [Macau’s] tourism business is gradually recovering, the number of scam cases involving the use of  ‘bank-teller training notes’ in casinos or around them, has seen apparent increases,” the Judiciary Police remarked in its Monday release.

The reference was to mockups of paper currency that are used by mainland Chinese banks in training their tellers. The notes look realistic, although usually have a message on them explaining they are for training purposes.

Macau would continue to investigate and combat the use for criminal purposes of such bank-training materials, and would work with police in mainland China to probe the respective ‘cross-border’ criminal group thought to be behind the scam, said the Judiciary Police.

During 2020, the police also identified a surge in the number of scams involving use “of computer or Internet”. The tally of such cases was 431, up 37.7 percent year-on-year.

In some instances, victims were lured by scammers via some social media platforms to install a fraudulent online gambling application and establish a betting ‘account’ for it; the victims would eventually find their ‘account’ with the gambling application frozen, or face rejection from withdrawing money from their ‘account’, and the online gambling application would halt operation.


  • tweet
Related articles
  • Macau mass gaming tables busy in run up to May hols
    Macau mass gaming tables busy in run up...

    Apr 27, 2023  

  • Macau police spot checks for illicit bet-money changers
    Macau police spot checks for illicit...

    Mar 07, 2023  

More news
  • FBM enters U.S. market via Easy$Link deployment in Florida
    FBM enters U.S. market via Easy$Link...

    May 29, 2023  

  • RGB posts US$2.3mln 1Q profit, optimistic for rest of 2023
    RGB posts US$2.3mln 1Q profit,...

    May 29, 2023  


Latest News

FBM enters U.S. market via Easy$Link deployment in Florida

FBM enters U.S. market via Easy$Link deployment in Florida

May 29, 2023  

FBM, a maker of casino slot machines and an international specialist in electronic bingo machines, says it has delivered its first product in the United States. The firm said it had entered the...
Read More
RGB posts US$2.3mln 1Q profit, optimistic for rest of 2023

RGB posts US$2.3mln 1Q profit, optimistic for rest of 2023

May 29, 2023  

Cotai Expo hotel extra to licence capex, says Goldstein

Cotai Expo hotel extra to licence capex, says Goldstein

May 29, 2023  

Sign up to our FREE Newsletter

UB8V5.qr.16(Click here for more)

Pick of the Day

”Even in the darkest moments of the pandemic, we’ve always said this market will come back strong… We’re big believers in Macau”

Robert Goldstein

Chairman and chief executive of Las Vegas Sands



Most Popular

  • Londoner Macao pulls in foreigners and Chinese: LVS CEOLondoner Macao pulls in foreigners and Chinese: LVS CEO May 25, 2023
  • Ian Coughlan out of Wynn Macau Ltd board, Cameron-Doe inIan Coughlan out of Wynn Macau Ltd board, Cameron-Doe in May 29, 2023
  • Cotai Expo hotel extra to licence capex, says GoldsteinCotai Expo hotel extra to licence capex, says Goldstein May 29, 2023
  • Genting Malaysia revenue at US$494mln in 1Q, narrows lossGenting Malaysia revenue at US$494mln in 1Q, narrows loss May 25, 2023
  • Suntrust agrees to US$6mln loan from chairman Andrew LoSuntrust agrees to US$6mln loan from chairman Andrew Lo May 29, 2023
Copyright 2014-2023 TEAM Publishing and Consultancy Ltd / All rights reserved
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Useful Links
  • Contact Us