Macau is set to crack down on illegal money exchanges and other gambling-related crimes after passing a new bill. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Macau’s Legislative Assembly has unanimously voted in favor of a final reading of a new bill to tackle crimes associated with gambling.

All 32 members of the assembly passed the “Law to Combat Crimes of Illegal Gambling” bill, which was initially proposed by the government in December 2023.

highest potential sentence is a significant increase on the previous law

The bill will define penalties for running illegal gambling games, with a prison sentence of between one and eight years for operating illegal games of fortune, online gambling and mutual betting. The highest potential sentence is a significant increase on the previous law, which set it at three years.

The bill also targeted the practice of “multipliers,” where seemingly small bets are placed at standard gaming tables, but with a hidden, much larger wager also placed on the outcome, as one such practice.

Another target of the legislation was to crack down on the explosion of illegal money exchanges in Macau, which often help Chinese gamblers avoid restrictions on capital flight.

“While the illegal money exchange business in Macau might have stemmed from the gambling industry, it has [become] a very common channel for corruption,” said Peng Peng, the executive chairman of the Guangdong Society of Reform.

Those found guilty of the offenses, as well as coercing others to gamble and providing illicit loans and money exchanges, could also face a casino entry ban, forbidding them from properties in the region.