CRIME: Some Cotai casino security staff allegedly made US$166k ‘catching’ crime suspects then pledging them protection from police

 jul26

Macau’s Judiciary Police announced on Thursday the uncovering of an alleged crime operation led by security personnel from a Cotai casino, said to have profited from detecting wrongdoers on the premises and then offering not to report them to the police if those suspects paid up in cash.

The security staffers at the Cotai casino – which wasn’t named in a police media briefing as reported by local Chinese-language media outlets – were allegedly helped by a number of “intermediaries”.

Since March 2025, the security people – said to include a security manager and some security guards – in collaboration with the go-betweens, purportedly gained at least HKD1.4 million (US$165,716) illicitly, by charging so-called “protection fees” from at least 30 individuals.

The latter were identified as people themselves likely to have committed various offences inside the casino in question. The security workers offered to cover up those matters from the city’s authorities, in exchange for the money, it has been claimed.

Per the briefing, the police arrested on Tuesday 14 individuals in connection with the case, ranging in age from 26 to 66. Of those, 12 were Macau residents, and two were mainland residents.

Five of the detainees were described by police as “intermediaries” allegedly tasked with identifying and then approaching people suspected of ‘gambling-related’ crime within the casino. Depending on the perceived severity of the observed offences, the ring would ask for ‘release’ fees ranging from MOP5,000 (US$619) to MOP40,000. The nine other ring suspects were all casino security personnel.

The Judiciary Police said they had contacted seven individuals willing to testify regarding payment of alleged ‘protection fees’ to those now under investigation.

The seven witnesses – all from mainland China – were themselves allegedly involved in various ‘gambling-related’ crimes: either theft, fraud, or tip hustling on the gaming floor, additionally reported local outlet Macao Daily News.

The 14 arrested in connection with the inquiry were variously charged by the police with belonging to a criminal group, extortion, coercion, and being an accessory after the fact.

At Thursday’s briefing, the Judiciary Police said the allegations against the casino security staff “severely damaged” Macau’s image as a tourism destination. The police added that if the matters were proven, they would have harmed “security and order” at the casino concerned.

https://www.ggrasia.com/some-cotai-casino-security-staff-allegedly-made-us166k-catching-crime-suspects-then-pledging-them-protection-from-police?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=some-cotai-casino-security-staff-allegedly-made-us166k-catching-crime-suspects-then-pledging-them-protection-from-police

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2022-2024 reforms corrected Macau’s casino industry imbalance

Image
 ab25 The new regulatory framework overhaul that was implemented through reforms in 2022 and 2024 led to “major corrections” in the  Macau  casino industry rather than routine updates, aimed at fixing what had become a dangerously unbalanced system after two decades of breakneck expansion, gaming law expert Jorge Godinho argues in a recent study. “There were too many gaming promoters and VIP rooms, too much credit for gaming, and too much money moving out of China,” Godinho writes in his  study ,  The Macau SAR Regulation of Casino Gaming: Structural Features After the Reforms of 2022–2024 . Jorge Godinho, Gaming Law Expert “Numerous casinos were built, but not that many non-gaming services were developed.” The reforms come after years of unsustainable growth, followed by sharp decline during the COVID-19 pandemic. The gaming industry peaked in 2013/14 but entered what Godinho describes as “a bumpy ride that became a freefall.” Macau’s reliance on high-rolling V...
Read more

Gaming operators finish over 20 pct of pledged projects, study finds

 set25 Over one fifth of the investment projects pledged by casino operators have been completed, as per the Asia Pacific Association for Gambling Studies. The estimate comes in a fresh update from the group of scholars and experts on the gaming sector, which they believe generated MOP70.8 billion (US$8.84 billion) in non-gaming revenue between 2023 and 2024. The association is headed by Zeng Zhonglu, an emeritus professor at the Macao Polytechnic University. It is believed that last year alone, non-casino revenue exceeded 2019 levels by 12 per cent. When it came to contributions to public finances, 2023–2024 tax revenue from these casino operators reached MOP164 billion, accounting for 76 per cent of current revenue and capital income. On local employment, the group estimates that these gaming companies hired 77,951 locals between 2023 and 2024 — or approximately 27.3 per cent of the city’s entire workforce. Other positive contributions outlined by the group included these compani...
Read more

new Tiger Baccarat side bets

jul24 A fresh side bet option for baccarat play introduced to the Macau market –  known as ‘Small 6/Big 6’   – is now prevalent in all key properties promoted by the city’s six casino operators across Cotai and downtown Macau, based on GGRAsia’s recent site checks. Small 6/Big 6 – a variant of  the ‘Lucky Six’   found in Macau casinos – pays 22 to 1, if the winning ‘banker’ hand with a face value of six is composed of two cards. The side bet pays 50 to 1 for a winning ‘banker’ hand with a face value of six, composed of three cards. Macau casino operators Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd and Sands China Ltd had been the earliest adopters of this fresh side bet option. Both companies had already launched the offer at their respective properties  by early May , coinciding with the Labour Day holiday period. In  late May , MGM China Holdings Ltd and Wynn Macau Ltd also started offering the Small 6/Big 6 bet option at the mass and high-limit gaming areas of t...
Read more