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Mexico – Senator demands report on number of Mexican gaming halls

By - 12 January 2017

Senator José María Martínez a member of the National Action Party (PAN) has demanded that the Mexican Ministry of the Interior (SEGOB) submit a report to the Senate regarding the number of casinos currently in operation in Mexico as well as the exact number of applications which have been made to open more gaming establishments.

The Senator expressed his concern over the lack of statistical data regarding the number of casinos operating in Mexico. SEGOB must now deliver a report on the issue to the Senate.

“It is worrying that until now that there has been no legal framework to regulate this activity of economic and social interest, and there is no certainty when it comes to how many establishments are operating, or over the licenses granted to set up casinos,” he said.

Martinez said that according to the information available, there are at least 100,000 slot machines operating in Mexico, and 434 casinos in operation out of a total of 789 licences which had been granted so far. This means that a further 364 casinos could open. In addition this does not include the number of casinos operating on the margins of the law via legal protection granted to them by local courts.
The Senator said that it was his opinion that gaming establishments in Mexico have operated in the midst of “a legal paradise” that has allowed the proliferation of gaming. He also expressed his regret that the federal government had not dealt with the matter as it should have. The legislator insisted that the existence of a number of legal vacuums in Mexico’s gaming laws had led both national and foreign investors to appeal for legal protection in the courts in order to remain open.

Last month the Senator, who is President of the Mexican Senate’s Board of Directors, claimed that due to lack of government oversight, more than a third of the 100,000 machines installed in the country’s casinos are uncertified or have been tampered with meaning that players have been the victims of fraud. As a result the Senator said that it was essential to expedite reform of the 1947 Raffles and Gambling Act.

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