Legislation
Mexico – More calls to ban casinos in Mexican Caribbean
By Phil - 17 March 2016
The Caribbean Business Coordinating (Council Consejo Coordinador Empresarial del Caribe) has joined the increasing number of interest groups in rejecting the installation of casinos in tourist zones.
In a press conference the council outlined a comprehensive package of proposals to candidates who will be standing for the governor’s office in the upcoming elections in June.
Amongst a number of other proposals for improved infrastructure, and increased urban development the group announced that it was vehemently against the installation of casinos in Cancun as it considered them a risk to public health and safety and led to money laundering and extortion.
The business leaders of the group, which is made up of 32 organisations and 509,000 companies that together generate over 540,000 jobs, made the demands as part of 18 proposals divided into sections such as the improvement of quality of life, infrastructure as well as tourism and competitiveness in the state of Quintana Roo.
When it came to casinos President of the Association of Hotels in Cancun Carlos Gosselin said: “Why no to casinos? Because we have a hotel business with a capacity of 90,000 rooms and this will grow to 120,000 in the next six to seven years and for a hotel such as the MGM hotel to come we will have to protect the gaming industry and this will destroy a hospitality business that today provides comfort for many people.”
The announcement comes as a number of powerful tourism associations and organisations in Mexico are joining forces to put pressure on the government so that casinos are not permitted in already popular tourist zones. Earlier this month a total of twenty associations agreed to lobby the government so that Mexico’s new gaming laws have safeguards in place which ensure that casinos are run safely and lawfully and are not permitted in tourist hotspots. Together the associations have signed a letter which underlines their concerns when it comes to the new act and questions the driving forces behind legislation which would inevitably see a rise in gaming in Mexico.
