Security chief: New law enforcement ‘obvious’

The enforcement of the new law to combat illegal gambling and related activities will soon have a more noticeable impact on curbing illegal currency exchange, the Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, stated yesterday.

Speaking at a press conference on the criminal activities report for the first nine months of this year, Wong explained that while the police have always pursued this unlawful activity, its new classification as a crime will make the “effects more obvious” in reducing such activities.

Wong noted that illegal currency exchange has long posed a security issue in casinos and surrounding areas, with serious crimes like scams, theft, bodily harm, and even murder often stemming from it. He said this activity has been increasing in recent years, becoming more organized and professional.

Between January and September, authorities intercepted 2,835 “money-changing fraudsters.” Of these, 2,635 non-residents were banned from entering Macau for being involved in illegal activities, and information about 1,677 individuals was forwarded to the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau for similar entry bans into casinos.

During the same period, 527 cases of scams linked to illegal currency exchange were reported, with fraudsters employing various methods, such as providing victims with “training banknotes” and forging fake remittance certificates.

In June, in collaboration with mainland authorities, the Judiciary Police (PJ) and Guangdong Police dismantled three criminal groups using “training notes” to conduct fake remittance scams, resulting in the arrest of 101 suspects. The operation, according to the report, involved a sum of approximately MOP1.6 billion.

In August, PJ and mainland police launched another joint operation targeting this activity on both sides of the border. They arrested 47 mainland residents involved in the illegal activities at various casinos, hotels, residential areas, and Macau’s border crossings. The authorities also seized around HKD1.92 million in cash and over HKD700,000 in gambling chips during this operation.

55 arrested since new law came into force

Since the new law criminalizing “illegal currency exchange” came into effect Oct. 29, 2024, and up until Nov. 22, authorities have arrested approximately 55 individuals involved in this activity in Macau, particularly around the casino areas, according to the Director of the Judiciary Police, Sit Chong Meng. He also reported that the police seized around MOP7.11 million during the operation.