Illegal Currency Exchange Fuels 61% Surge in Macau Gaming Crimes in Q1 2025

Macau has reported a sharp 61.5 percent rise in gaming-related crimes for the first quarter of 2025, with 567 criminal investigations logged, according to figures released Wednesday during a press briefing by the city’s law enforcement authorities.

Officials from the Judiciary Police and the Public Security Police Force pointed to the recent criminalization of unauthorized money exchange operations as the leading cause of the spike.

The surge follows the implementation of the Anti-Illegal Gambling Crime Law, which came into force in late October 2024. The law specifically criminalizes the act of “operating illegal currency exchange for gambling,” a practice that had previously fallen into legal grey areas.

According to the police, this new legal provision has significantly reshaped the statistical landscape of gaming crime.

Out of the 567 gaming-related cases recorded between January and March, 132 were tied directly to the newly defined offense of illegal currency exchange. Authorities noted that this category alone accounts for over 60 percent of the increase in overall gaming-related crimes compared to the same period last year.

Despite the spike in reported cases, enforcement actions have seen considerable success, with a dramatic drop in the number of individuals detained for such activities. In Q1 2025, authorities apprehended 251 suspected illegal money exchangers—an 80.6 percent decrease from the 1,292 detentions in the first quarter of 2024.

Law enforcement indicated that they had successfully solved 157 cases of illegal money exchange, encompassing the 132 newly recorded offenses along with others initially classified under different charges. These investigations led to the arrest of 251 suspects and contributed to enhanced order within and around gaming establishments.

The police also emphasized the significance of cross-border coordination with mainland China in cracking down on these offenses. According to the statement, “the effectiveness of cross-border cooperation was demonstrated in March when Macau and mainland Chinese authorities jointly dismantled two transborder illegal currency exchange criminal organizations.” This joint effort led to the arrest of over 60 suspects operating in both territories.

The dismantled syndicates had reportedly employed creative cover operations. One group used fake delivery services, while another was linked to jewelry shops where they conducted fraudulent transactions. These schemes facilitated illegal money exchanges for gamblers, involving sums as high as HK$200 million (US$25.7 million) and HK$590 million (US$75.8 million), respectively.

Among all gaming-related offenses recorded in the first quarter, fraud was the most prevalent, with 152 cases amounting to 26.8 percent of the total. Illegal currency exchange came next with its 132 cases representing 23.3 percent. Other notable categories included 51 usury cases (nine percent), 46 theft cases (8.1 percent), and 38 instances of misappropriation (6.7 percent). There were also 21 violations of casino exclusion orders, accounting for 3.7 percent, while other crimes each represented less than three percent of the total caseload.

Authorities observed that, aside from fraud—which showed an upward trend—most other crime categories have declined year-over-year. However, they noted that the offense of “operating illegal currency exchange for gambling” has no comparative data due to its recent inclusion in the law.

An analysis of the demographics involved in gaming-related offenses shows that the majority of both suspects and victims are non-residents. Of the 679 individuals suspected of involvement in these crimes, only 119 (17.5 percent) were Macau residents. Non-residents made up 560 of the suspects, or 82.5 percent. Victim data followed a similar pattern: just 28 of the 333 victims were locals (8.4 percent), while 305 (91.6 percent) were from outside Macau.

The data underscores the persistent non-local character of gaming-related criminal activity in the city. Officials highlighted that “there are no signs of localization in criminal activity patterns,” reinforcing the notion that these offenses continue to be driven largely by foreign actors. 

By fLEXI tEAM