Macau Says Proxy Betting Under Control as Crime Rises

Kyle Kevin

iGaming Writer

Fact Checked

Macau’s security chief says proxy betting is contained. The same briefing put gaming-related crime up 12.2%. Both numbers are real.

Macau’s Secretary for Security says casino proxy betting is under control. Chan Tsz King spoke at a crime statistics briefing on 16 July. He described recent live-stream proxy betting cases as mostly isolated incidents. According to Chan, gaming operators are cooperating closely. On-site police respond swiftly when early signs appear. The Judiciary Police will keep investigating in depth. However, the same briefing carried a harder number. Police recorded 1,278 gaming-related criminal cases in the first six months of 2026. That is up 139 cases, or 12.2%, year-on-year.

The Official Assessment

Chan’s framing rests on two claims. The first is that cases are isolated rather than systemic. The second is that detection is working. Both are defensible. Every recent proxy betting arrest has come from casino security staff spotting behaviour on the floor, then referring it to police. That is a functioning system, not a failing one. However, “under control” and “declining” are different claims. Detecting more cases can mean better detection or more activity. The data does not separate those. Proxy betting involves live-streaming casino table games so gamblers elsewhere can bet remotely. It routes wagering outside Macau’s monitored floor. The practice threatens the regulated model directly, which is why it draws government attention. According to Chan, the Judiciary Police will continue investigating in depth. The individual cases feature in our report on this month’s proxy betting arrests.

What the Crime Numbers Show

The first-half data splits in interesting directions. Gaming-related cases rose 12.2% to 1,278. Illegal money exchange for gambling accounted for 259 of those, up 7.9%. However, the violent end of the spectrum improved markedly. Gambling-related loansharking fell 13.9% to 87 cases. Associated unlawful detention dropped 53.8%, to just six cases. That last figure is the encouraging one. Detention cases involve people held over gambling debts. Six in six months, down from 13, suggests real progress on the most harmful category. So the aggregate rise conceals a shift in composition. Financial and technological offences are up. Coercive, violent ones are down. Both trends can be true simultaneously. In contrast to loansharking, proxy betting and money exchange require no physical intimidation. As a result, Macau’s gaming crime problem is becoming more technical and less brutal. The latest proxy case shows that character. Police arrested a 42-year-old mainland Chinese man on 15 July at a NAPE district casino. He allegedly wore modified clothing concealing a phone to live-stream baccarat, took instructions via a Bluetooth earpiece and a smartwatch, and placed RMB163,200 in bets for online gamblers in mainland China. His alleged profit was HK$1,400. He faces charges of illegally operating online gaming and remains unconvicted.

Regulator and Operators Coordinate

The DICJ met all six gaming concessionaires on 14 July. The agenda was strengthening prevention and reporting mechanisms against proxy betting. According to the regulator, technological advances are making illegal betting methods increasingly covert. The smartwatch in the latest case illustrates that directly. Operators shared their existing countermeasures at the meeting. Those include surveillance equipment and stepped-up patrols. They also cover staff training and identification guidelines. Notably, some operators run reporting incentive schemes. That means paying staff to flag suspicious behaviour, turning the floor workforce into a detection network. The DICJ said it will maintain close communication with law enforcement and concessionaires. Regular exchanges and information sharing are the stated mechanism. The regulator framed the goal as safeguarding the healthy and orderly development of Macau’s gaming industry. Trade coverage of Macau’s regulatory activity, including AGBrief, tracks the DICJ’s work. The wider enforcement wave sits in our report on Macau’s proxy gambling cases.

The Money-Changing Connection

Judiciary Police Director Sit Chong Meng identified the structural link. He said fraud inside casinos is essentially tied to illegal money-changing gangs. That reframes the whole picture. Money exchange is not a separate offence category. It is the financial layer beneath much of the rest. The enforcement response follows that logic. Since 2024, the Judiciary Police has run year-round joint operations with mainland public security authorities. The targets are underground banks and the money laundering behind these groups. According to Sit, those operations dismantled two major syndicates over the past two years. The first-half numbers show sustained pressure. Police cracked around 250 illegal money exchange cases. They arrested 322 money changers. Seizures exceeded HK$16 million in cash and chips, roughly US$2.05 million. Sit said the bureau will step up monitoring alongside the six casino operators. However, money exchange cases still rose 7.9% despite that effort. Cross-border AML cooperation features in our report on Philippine FATF compliance.

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This article has been thoroughly researched and reviewed by the CasinoBait editorial team to ensure accuracy and relevance for Asian casino players.