Gaming-related crime in Macau rose 3.2 per cent year-on-year to 585 cases in the first quarter of 2026, driven primarily by an increase in fraud offences, according to figures published by the Office of the Secretary for Security on 18 June.
The increase amounted to 18 additional cases year-on-year and was primarily driven by a rise in fraud offences linked to gaming activities.
Fraud remains the largest category
Authorities recorded 162 gaming-related fraud cases during the January to March period, accounting for 27.7 per cent of all gaming-related crimes. The number of fraud cases increased by 6.6 per cent compared with the first quarter of 2025.
Unlicensed money exchange for gambling purposes remained the second-largest category of gaming-related crime, with 119 cases recorded during the quarter. However, the figure represented a 9.8 per cent decline from a year earlier.
Cases involving illegal lending for gambling purposes totalled 45, down 11.8 per cent year-on-year. Macau authorities have previously classified gambling-related loansharking as a serious crime affecting public security.
The latest quarterly data also showed increases in several other gaming-related offences, including assault, threats, misappropriation and theft. Despite the increases, the number of cases in those categories remained significantly lower than fraud and illegal money exchange offences.
The quarterly report did not provide an official explanation for the changes across individual categories of gaming-related crime.
Overall crime rises slightly
The gaming crime figures were released as part of Macau’s First Quarter 2026 Crime Statistics and Law Enforcement Data Briefing.
According to the report, the total number of crimes recorded in Macau increased by 1.3 per cent year-on-year during the first quarter. Serious violent offences such as homicide, kidnapping and grievous bodily harm continued to register either very low levels or no cases.
In remarks cited by local media, Secretary for Security Chan Tsz King said crimes that attract significant public attention, including fraud, theft, cybercrime, domestic violence, illegal gambling-related money exchange activities and juvenile delinquency, all recorded declines during the quarter. He said the figures reflected the joint efforts of various stakeholders and demonstrated that Macau’s overall public security situation remained stable and under control.
The security authorities said they would continue to adopt a vigilant approach as Macau’s economy recovers and visitor arrivals continue to rise. The report noted that law enforcement agencies would deepen the use of preventive policing and technology-driven security measures while seeking to address emerging public security challenges.
New law continues to shape gaming crime statistics
The first-quarter data follows the recording of 2,373 gaming-related crimes in 2025, up 63 per cent from 1,456 cases in 2024, according to official statistics.
According to the Office of the Secretary for Security, the increase was primarily linked to the criminalisation of unlicensed money exchange for gambling purposes under Macau’s Anti-Illegal Gambling Crime Law. The Law to Combat Crimes of Illegal Gambling, which took effect in October 2024, introduced criminal penalties for unauthorised currency exchange activities linked to gambling and expanded the scope of offences classified as gaming-related crimes.
Under the revised framework, cases involving illegal money exchange rose to 471 in 2025 from 89 a year earlier, while gaming-related fraud cases doubled to 667 from 333. Authorities said many of those fraud offences were connected to illegal currency exchange activities.
During the first three quarters of 2025, gaming-related crime had already risen 70.1 per cent year-on-year to 1,737 cases. At the time, Chan said the increase largely reflected changes in legal classification and statistical methodology rather than a deterioration in Macau’s public security environment.
While gaming-related crime increased overall in 2025, authorities reported declines in several other categories. Cases involving illegal lending for gambling purposes fell 23.0 per cent year-on-year to 194, while gambling-related kidnapping cases decreased 40.4 per cent to 28. Cases involving organised crime and illegal gambling activities, including under-the-table betting, also declined by more than 50 per cent.
The Office of the Secretary for Security said Macau’s overall crime situation remained stable in 2025, with serious violent crime continuing to occur at low levels and the territory’s broader security environment remaining favourable.
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