Police in Macau, Hong Kong and Guangdong have arrested 50 suspects, including a security department officer, in a crackdown against major cross-border organised crimes. The 50 suspects were arrested for operating an illegal gambling syndicate, with funds exceeding RMB 1bn in total.
According to Macau and Hong Kong news agencies, the joint investigations started in November 2022 with a money laundering case, which led to the current discovery of the illegal gambling syndicate. The Macau police led the charge in arresting the 50 suspects, which included key members and leaders of the operation.
Over RMB 1bn had been seized from the operation in the form of cash, mobile devices and computer equipment. Additional arrests of 42 suspects uncovered a further 92 bank accounts with RMB 22m worth of money from the illegal gambling activities.
The syndicate was believed to be operating illegal online betting on football and basketball events, which included the recent UEFA Championship.
In similar UEFA Championship news, the Royal Thai Police have also made up to 2,600 arrests related to illegal gambling since the start of the UEFA tournament in June 2024.
Despite the occasional illegal gambling and casino fraud case, Macau’s monthly gross income during June 2024 still reached MOP$17.7bn ($2.21bn), representing year-on-year growth of 16.4%
