Here are some interesting facts on high roller gamblers who frequent Macau casinos:
- 90% of the gamblers in Macau are from China.
- 1% of players in Macau, the high rollers, account for 30% of annual gross gaming revenue.
- The economy of Macau is entirely dependent upon gambling, players from China and specifically, the high rollers from China (dependence on single industry; single source; and single segment of market).
- Protecting the anonymity of high rollers in Macau is the primary consideration for high rollers and the credit extended to gamblers by junket (or VIP) operators is done without a paper trail.
- Almost all of the high rollers from China are gambling with proceeds of crime from at least one offence, namely the removal of currency from China in contravention of the currency foreign exchange restrictions which limit to $50,000, the amount a person or company can exchange annually, but often the funds gambled are derived from other predicate offences such as bribery and embezzlement of state assets (57%) or fraud (14%).
- The majority of high rollers from China in Macau are government officials and officials from state-owned companies, usually in the banking sector.
- Only 25% of high rollers from China who gamble in Macau are non-government persons; thus 75% appear to be politically exposed persons in money laundering law.
- 93% of high rollers from China are male and they lose on average $3.3 million gambling in Macau, using mostly proceeds of crime.
- The majority of high rollers (consistent with gamblers worldwide), do not believe that the house always wins and believe that Baccarat, the game of choice, is one of pure chance when the casino is involved.