Casino Related Crime on the Rise in Macau
8 years ago
28 May
Security chiefs have revealed that Macau has been hit by the sharp rise of casino related crime according to the report by Macau Daily Times. As criminal activity rises in the world’s biggest gambling hub, Beijing’s financial crackdown on Macau and Beijing’s tactic to put a cash squeeze on its criminal underbelly certainly has deep effects on the city.
The Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chank said that the number of criminal cases in Macau which were recorded in the first quarter of 2015 rose by 2.4% compared to the first quarter of 2014.
Security chiefs have revealed that number of illegal detentions which involve forced collection of gambling debts by triads also rose in the first quarter of the year. The world’s biggest gambling hub has faced surge in the number of arson attacks as well as the number of document forgery cases.
However Wong Sio Chank said that those criminal activities had little overall social impact in Macau as 97% of those cases took place inside the casino properties. He explained that Macau’s public security was in a stable situation as the cases like murders and kidnapping remained at zero occurrences.
The news about the increase in the casino crime come just a week before opening of two new gaming resorts in Macau.
Xi Jinping anti-corruption campaign had impact on many, from government officials to junkets and casino operators. Macau has faced demands from the Chinese government related to casino industry as the government is trying to diversify Macau’s economy and distance it from gambling.
Many agree that XI Jinping’s crackdown on corruption is the main reason for Macau’s latest unfavorable situation but they also blame government for introducing new measures like smoking ban and visa restriction plan.
The problems among our party members and cadres - of corruption, taking bribes, being out of touch with the people - must be addressed with great effort. Xi Jinping, www.abc.net.au;Although Macau is currently in an unfavorable situation it is still the largest gambling hub in the world. Macau is trying to diversify its economy beyond gambling but that doesn’t mean that gambling will go away from Macau just because the government is focused on other tourist attractions.
It is certainly hard for Macau to adjust to the changes in the gaming industry but Wong Sio Chank believes that there is still not enough evidence to say that the current adjustment in the gaming industry has affected Macau’s social public security.
Comments
You need to be logged in to post a new comment