A spike in casino-related crime has Macau casino operators fearing for the safety of their high-value customers – and the casinos’ own legal liability.

This week, Macau Judiciary Police revealed that casino-related crime has shot up more than one-third in the first half of 2015. The stats were driven by a 112% rise in the number of unlawful detention cases, in which gamblers who can’t pay their debts are held against their will while friends and/or relatives scramble to find the sums necessary to spring their loved ones.

On Saturday, the South China Morning Post reported that Macau’s casino and hotel operators were querying insurance companies regarding the potential for specialized risk policies to mitigate the potential fallout of some sort of kidnapping incident involving any of their high-rolling clientele.

Such policies would protect casinos from legal liability from suits filed by either the victim or their relatives. They also allow casinos to deploy crisis responders to attempt to defuse the situation before it escalates to a point of no return.