ID checks added to ATMs in Macau
Print Edition
MACAU plans to add security features at ATMs requiring facial scans and ID card verification for withdrawals using China’s UnionPay system.
In December, the gambling hub’s monetary authority said it was limiting people using UnionPay — around half of those visiting the city from the Chinese mainland — to 5,000 patacas (US$600) for each ATM withdrawal.
The new moves come as the Chinese territory seeks to tighten restrictions on cash flow out of the mainland.
A statement from the Macau government said it “will make every effort to implement Macau’s anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism rules.”
The new measures will be rolled out to all automated teller machines in Macau, especially those inside casinos or nearby, but no specific timeframe was given.
Meanwhile, police said yesterday they had raided casinos, cafes and bars in an investigation into 790 people to “purify the environment in the community and do the best to maintain safety and stability.”
Those being investigated were suspected of various offenses including illegal residence in Macau, human trafficking and illegal business operations.
The specially administered region, an hour by ferry from Hong Kong, is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal.
Its monthly casino revenues have expanded for nine straight months after a two-year slump. The city’s casinos have raked in US$10.4 billion so far this year.
The planned ATM measures come as Macau is proposing changes to its anti-money laundering laws which will strengthen current regulations.
The gaming authority is also conducting additional audits on the lucrative VIP gambling sector and more vetting of individual junket operators.
Officials have already tightened up scrutiny of junket operators, who act as an informal banking channel by lending money to mainland visitors and later collecting debts.
China’s government has since late 2016 put in place capital controls that make it harder for individuals and companies to move money out of China.
A 2014 Reuters investigation found that many people from the Chinese mainland use UnionPay cards to circumvent cash withdrawal limits of 20,000 yuan (US$3,200) a day, and either use that money to gamble or transfer it abroad.
Customers open multiple bank accounts and then withdraw cash from each, or use pawn shops in Macau to make fake purchases, the investigation found.
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