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Macau · Judiciary PoliceREPORTED

Macau livestream proxy betting — four police cases in nine weeks, one method

Mainland Chinese suspects in four separate Judiciary Police cases (one, six, two and one person), filming casino games for remote gamblers

Incident type
Cheating / Advantage play · Criminal organisation
Conduct period
August – October 2026 (one suspect linked to earlier operations since 2025)
Final adjudication
Pending: in prosecution
Status
In prosecution
Last verified

Summary

Between mid-August and mid-October 2026 Macau's Judiciary Police dealt with four cases of the same method: a person inside a casino films a game with a concealed phone and streams it to gamblers elsewhere, who place their bets through him. In the first, one man filmed slot screens at two Cotai casinos with a side-mounted phone camera; police seized 12 TITO vouchers worth HK$500,316. In the second, six mainland suspects hid a phone in a shoebox inside a shopping bag to film a slot machine, with roles split between broadcasting, money and look-out; police seized seven phones, HK$23,000 in cash and vouchers worth HK$67,975, and linked one suspect to at least five earlier operations since 2025. In the third, acting on a tip-off, police detained two men at an electronic baccarat terminal; one took instructions through a Bluetooth earpiece and bet with RMB18,000 the remote gambler had paid in advance, while the other split the chips and kept watch. In the fourth, one man filmed live baccarat through a phone in a modified shirt, took instructions by Bluetooth earphone, and was paid HK$500 an hour across four sessions from late September. All were referred to the Public Prosecutions Office on suspicion of illegally operating online games of chance or online mutual betting. The cases are recorded here as one file because the method is the finding.

Timeline

REPORTED

  1. A man films slot screens at two Cotai casinos with a side-mounted phone camera. Arrested; 12 TITO vouchers worth HK$500,316 seized.

  2. Six mainland suspects arrested over a slot machine filmed through a phone hidden in a shoebox; seven phones, HK$23,000 cash and HK$67,975 in vouchers seized. One suspect is linked to at least five earlier operations since 2025.

  3. Acting on a tip-off, police detain two men at an electronic baccarat terminal in Cotai: one betting on Bluetooth instructions with RMB18,000 pre-paid by the remote gambler, the other splitting chips and keeping watch.

  4. A man is arrested for filming live baccarat through a phone in a modified shirt, on Bluetooth instructions, paid HK$500 an hour; four sessions since late September.

The operation

REPORTED
  • Every case used the same kit: a phone pointed at a screen or table, a messaging or streaming app, and in two of the four a Bluetooth earpiece for instructions.
  • The concealment varied: a side-mounted phone case, a shoebox inside a shopping bag, a modified shirt.
  • Two of the four involved slot machines or electronic baccarat, where there is no dealer at the game.
  • Roles were divided in the larger cases: broadcaster, money handler, look-out.
  • One suspect was linked to at least five earlier operations since 2025: the same people reappear.
  • Pay was by the hour (HK$500 in the fourth case), and in the third case the remote gambler pre-paid the stake (RMB18,000).

Sources

  1. Macau police arrest man over livestreamed slot proxy betting — Asia Gaming Brief, 2026-08-19 [link]
  2. Macau police arrest six over casino proxy betting scheme — Focus Gaming News, 2026-08-24 [link]
  3. Macau police detain two over proxy betting from Cotai casino — Asia Gaming Brief, 2026-09-21 [link]
  4. PJ cracks a knife robbery, casino proxy betting case — Macau Daily Times, 2026-10-15 [link]

Analysis: surveillance & operations perspective

ANALYSIS

Editorial commentary by Surveillance Intelligence Asia. Opinion: clearly distinguished from the verified facts above.

Proxy betting by livestream is cheap, quick to set up and easy to repeat, and that is why it keeps returning: a phone, an app, an earpiece and someone willing to sit at a game for an hourly fee. Nothing in it defeats the game itself; it moves the decision to bet outside the building.

The movement onto slot machines and electronic baccarat matters for coverage. At a live table a dealer and a supervisor are looking at the players; at a terminal the camera is often the only observer. The profile that recurs is visible on camera: a phone held still at screen height or a bag angled at a screen, long sessions with little variation in betting, pauses before each bet as if waiting, and companions who arrive together but never sit together.

Lessons (observation, not prescription)

  • Brief floor staff on how the camera is concealed (shoebox, shirt, side-mounted lens), so a still bag pointed at a screen is recognised for what it is.
  • Give electronic game areas the same attention as live pits for this profile: there is no dealer there to notice.
  • Log every confirmed case with the device photographed and the individuals identified: the same people reappear, one of them at least five times since 2025.

This case file is a summary for professional readers, not legal advice. Where it describes a statute, a regulator's finding or a penalty, the official text governs. Check it, or take advice, before relying on this.

Last verified: 2026-10-23. Errors? Email corrections@surveillanceasia.com. Corrections published within 24 hours per editorial process.