Macau has experienced a big rise in gambling crimes this year. Prosecutor General Tong Hio Fong shared new data showing that even though overall crime is slightly lower than last year, gambling related offences increased a lot. Officials say this happened mainly because a new law now makes illegal money changing a criminal act, which led to more cases being recorded.

Macau recorded 15,176 criminal cases overall. This was around 2 percent lower than last year which shows that crime levels in general are stabilising. However, Tong warned that gambling connected offences are still a big concern for security officials and must be closely monitored.

Illegal Money-Changing Gangs Drive Surge

Gambling related cases rose to 760 during the latest judicial year. This represents almost a 134 percent increase when compared to the previous period. According to officials, illegal money changers also known locally as money changing gangs are responsible for most of the rise. The new rule that makes such activity a criminal act led to 410 cases being recorded against these groups.

Tong said that even though police are trying hard to stop them, these gangs keep finding new ways to hide. They work more quietly now so they do not get caught. They often approach tourists and offer quick cash exchange outside of banks. This has caused fights and money problems in casino areas.

Authorities are asking the Government to launch more awareness campaigns for visitors so they can better understand the dangers of unlicensed currency exchange. The goal is to protect public security and support healthy financial activity in the region.

Prosecution Workload Remains High

The Public Prosecutions Office closed 15,204 cases during the year which shows a 10.7 percent improvement in efficiency. Out of these, 3,766 cases moved forward to court while 11,113 were archived. Prosecutors also handled more than 1,000 cases related to family protection and juvenile welfare. This marks a 13 percent increase from last year and highlights growing pressure on social support systems.

Tong praised prosecutors and staff members for working hard under heavy workloads. He said their professionalism is a strong sign that Macau’s justice system is able to handle difficult challenges even when crime trends change suddenly.

Drug Crimes Bring Fresh Challenges

Even though drug crimes are still lower than before the pandemic, police are seeing a troubling change. People are smuggling drugs across borders again, and there are more new types of synthetic drugs being found. Young people are the most at risk, so the prosecutor general wants more education and awareness in schools and local communities to help protect them and prevent drug abuse.

Tong stated that a united effort between police, government departments and social groups is needed to build a drug free and safe Macau.