According to Macau police, a jewelry store located inside a Cotai casino was the site of a money laundering activity. Authorities made it known to the public that the amount involved in the transaction was approximately HK$40 million ($5.1 million), and a local woman was arrested on suspicion of the crime.
As the police stated, the accused was a sales assistant at the store and was deeply involved in the illegal gambling operations. The plan was to let casino investors use non-regulated payment methods to get into the gaming area. The police, who had kept the store under surveillance on the morning of February 9, saw a mainland Chinese man receiving a QR code from the suspect and scanning it. Then the suspect handed the man the Hong Kong dollars which he was taking into the casino.
The police announcement says that on the day in question, she traded RMB1,726 ($249) for HK$1,800 ($230). A further investigation showed that the store had been making about RMB1.35 million ($195,000) a year in illegal profit since April 2025 through this service.
Evidence by Law Enforcement
During the raid, HK$95,400 ($12,200) in cash, a laptop and three mobile phones were confiscated by the police which are believed to have been used for the illegal exchange. Meanwhile, the detectives are still searching for the other suspects including the shopkeeper. The public prosecutors office has taken over the case, which was initially about running an illegal currency exchange for gambling.
Over the recent years, the authorities have stepped up their monitoring efforts to fight illegal currency exchanges. Official statistics show that there were 2,314 criminal investigations related to gaming in 2025, which is 62.6% more than the previous year. The officials have justified this increase by the crackdown on illicit exchanges and better reporting methods. Illegal currency trading, according to specialists, is the main threat to the integrity of Macau’s regulated gaming industry. Therefore, regulators and casino operators have both increased their efforts to identify and stop unlicensed financial services working on casino floors.
Results for the Casino Industry
This scenario demonstrates how gambling establishments that are part of the illegal financial networks represent a significant threat.
Casinos depend on very stringent anti-money laundering measures and adherence to the regulations to maintain their licenses and reputation. The authorities have made it clear that those employees involved in illegal currency trading will be held accountable criminally, fined, and imprisoned. Besides that, customers are cautioned that engaging in unauthorized exchanges is a serious crime which may lead to a heavy fine. Officials in Macau continue to put great pressure on the casinos, jewelry stores, and other businesses around the gaming spots.
Authorities are intensifying their efforts on one side to identify, among others, the financiers and the managers involved in the scheme. At the same time, they are calling on people who may have seen street-level illegal currency trading to report immediately. Meanwhile, they want to reassure the public that they highly value the cooperation of casino operators and business owners in the vicinity in the lawful operation of Macau’s gaming industry.
The case also reminds us that the gambling area of Macau has long been striving to enforce tighter financial controls. The introduction of improved surveillance will definitely result in illegal currency exchange activities in Cotai and the other casino areas being closely watched.
