Macau: 13 Arrested for Extorting Casino Scammers
Added on 29 November, 2025
Thirteen individuals have been arrested in Macau for allegedly running a criminal syndicate that extorted so-called “cross-hand” scam artists inside the city’s casinos, local media reported.
Authorities said the group targeted scammers who used sleight-of-hand techniques during betting, collecting a total of HK$800,000 (US$102,000) in hush money.
Police said the syndicate threatened to expose the scammers’ illegal activities to casino operators or the gamblers they had defrauded unless payments were made. The suspects include seven men and six women, aged between 52 and 82. Among them are six Macau residents, six from Hong Kong, and one woman from mainland China. All are unemployed. They have been handed over to the Public Prosecutions Office on charges of criminal association and extortion.
Investigators revealed that the case traces back to June, when officers were handling a separate cheating incident involving “cross-hand” sleight-of-hand methods during betting. During the probe, authorities discovered that ten non-local scammers had been regularly extorted since early this year. Fearing exposure of their fraudulent practices, the scammers allegedly paid the group repeated sums ranging from HK$100 to HK$500 each time.
A Macau resident surnamed Wong is believed to have led the operation. Police said he recruited 12 others and organised small teams to patrol casinos in search of scam artists using the “cross-hand” technique. Once identified, the scammers were pressured into paying to avoid being reported.
During the police operation, officers seized HK$7,300 in suspected illicit proceeds, along with casino chips and 13 mobile phones thought to have been used for coordinating the extortion. Authorities said the suspects admitted that most of the funds had already been spent, primarily on gambling.
The ten “cross-hand” scam artists who were targeted by the syndicate have been referred to prosecutors in a separate case. Police continue to investigate the matter, underlining Macau’s ongoing efforts to tackle crime and maintain integrity within its casino industry.
The arrests mark a rare example of extortion targeting fraudsters themselves, highlighting the complex criminal networks operating in the city’s gambling sector. The case also sheds light on the lengths some groups will go to profit from illegal activity, exploiting even those engaged in illicit schemes.