An alleged illegal gambling syndicate orchestrated at least 11 operations.
Macau.- The Judiciary Police (PJ) has arrested three men aged between 29 and 35 for alleged involvement in an illegal gambling syndicate from mainland China that sent agents to secretly broadcast activities in a VIP gaming room in Macau. Those arrested allegedly targeted people via the Chinese messenger application WeChat and invited them to take part in “under-the-table” betting.
An initial investigation, which was prompted by a tip-off, found the group had conducted at least 11 operations from last August to this month. The amount of bets placed at the gaming tables was approximately HK$790,000 (US$101,461), while undisclosed bets reached around HK$5.36m (US$688,500).
Police seized mobile phones, headphones, HK$344,000 (US$44,185) in chips and HK$600,000 (US$77,067) in cash. It is believed that at least 10 people remain at large.
See also: Macau DICJ appoints new deputy director
Macau sees rise in gaming-related crimes in 2024
The PJ has reported that gaming-related crimes rose by 28.6 per cent year-on-year to 1,423 in 2024. The number was 34 per cent lower than in 2019. The PJ noted there were 252 cases involving illegal gambling loans and some 47 cases of related unlawful detentions. Both figures were higher than those in 2023 but lower than in 2019.
Since the new legislation on gambling crimes entered into force last October, a total of 120 people have been arrested in connection with unlicensed foreign exchange and the PJ seized over MOP11m (US$1.4m) in cash and gaming chips.
The PJ also recorded 354 cases of telephone fraud, down 13 per cent year-on-year. However, online fraud cases increased by 4 per cent. However, the increase in 2024 was much smaller compared to the previous year, where the growth rate was 42.8 per cent. Authorities attributed the decline to anti-fraud campaigns carried out by the government to mitigate the growth of such crimes.
There were also 689 cases of phishing messages and fraudulent websites designed to steal credit card information, up 1.1 per cent in year-on-year terms. These scams caused over MOP14m (US$1.8m) in losses to both businesses and people, making them the largest-growing category of online crime in the region.
An alleged illegal gambling syndicate orchestrated at least 11 operations. Macau.- The Judiciary Police (PJ) has arrested three men aged between 29 and 35 for alleged involvement in an illegal gambling…
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