Facing Macau Triads

“Bate-ficha” business simply means the rolling or exchanging of gambling chips between the customers (gamblers) and the “bate-ficha” guys (dapma-chai) or chip rollers.

Triad involvements in Macau casinos impose a quite serious social impact to the local area. It has also attracted the attentions of Chinese Macau triad gangsters whose deadly battles over the fortunes to be made from racketeering and extortion in the territory are a continuing problem.

As different Macau triads always try to compete for 'controlled territory' in the casinos, disputes between societies occur from time to time. And this is usually settled in illegal or violent ways.

Even worse, Macau triads societies have grown so powerful in the city that there was a trend that people tried to seek help or to settle disputes from these societies rather than from the Police forces.

Although the Macau triad situation has got better since the handover, the problem is still enrooted in the local area.

Additional reading:

• Triads, Stanley Ho and Macau
• Six degress of separation