Police in Macau are probing the fatal stabbing of a 41-year-old man from mainland China in the Conrad Hotel, part of Sands China’s Sands Cotai IR.

Sands China

According to local media reports, the man was found dead in his bed. He was said to be an active gambler. No further details were available. Murder cases are rare in Macau and any violence is usually linked to triad-related infighting.

In a November release, the Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, said crime statistics recorded in the first nine months of 2018 showed Macau to be a secure and safe city.

The number of suspected crime cases reported in Macau, up to the end of September 2018, saw a 1.8 per cent drop year-on-year to 10,559 cases. Instances of the most serious forms of crime - kidnap, murder and grievous assault - continued to be either non-existent or extremely low in number.

Gaming-related crimes showed a slight increase of 1.1 per cent in the first nine months of last year to 1,338 cases. Cases of false imprisonment linked to usury - illegal lending of money - recorded a drop of 34.7 per cent year-on-year to 218 cases. Gaming-related usury went up 24.2 per cent to 390 cases. The security authorities had not found evidence that the city’s gaming industry had had any negative influence on community security, Wong said.

Source: Asia Gaming Brief