Gaming-related crimes up 19.2 percent in 2016

Monday 16th of January 2017

Gaming related crimes in Macau grew 19.2 percent for the full year 2016, says Judiciary Police (PJ) chief Chau Wai Kuong.

1,851 gaming-related cases were opened in 2016, an increase of 384 cases compared to the 1,467 in 2015.

Of the gaming-related crimes, 503 were related to illegal kidnapping, while 441 cases were related to loan sharking. The body also saw a rise in drug trafficking, up 40 percent to 122 cases in 2016.

However, Chau said the hike in gaming crimes was due to the body’s enhanced efforts in investigating these cases.

“We’ve been taking the initiative to investigate the cases based on the intelligence we receive in order to combat the crimes,” said Chau.

“That’s the reason why you see a higher number of gaming-related crimes, as we have successfully closed more cases,” he said. “One time we closed some 20 cases of illegal detention in one day.”

He also stressed that the crimes, which primarily take place in casinos, did not affect the local community.

“These cases, so far, are still basically happening inside local casinos. We haven’t yet seen their negative impact on the general security of society,” he said.

Police Case Gaming crimes