Operator News
Mexico – AIEJA pitches Mexican gaming recovery by February next year
By Phil - 19 July 2021
The President of the Association of Permit Holders, Operators and Suppliers of the Entertainment and Gambling Industry in Mexico (AIEJA), Miguel Ángel Ochoa has said the Mexican casino sector will not recover until February next year.
He confirmed that 2020 was one of the worst years for the Mexican casino industry, which crashed from a market of P25,000m (over US$ 1,250m) to only P10,000m (just over US$500m). Around 14 venues have closed permanently since the start of the pandemic.
Mr. Ochoa said: “The casino industry in Mexico will fully recover from the impact left by the coronavirus pandemic until February 2022. Of the 384 gaming halls that were open in March of last year in the country, and that had to close for three months due to the pandemic and health emergency, now there are around 370 open in their entirety,” explained the representative of the operators of Mexican game, who also highlighted that 2020 was one of the worst years that the industry has experienced, as it went from representing a market of P25,000m to a total of P10,000m annually.
“Still a lot of people don’t go to casinos, even though they can. They are still afraid, and people are slowly getting closer. For example, a casino that has a capacity of 75 per cent is on average below 50 per cent full. We have been one of the industries most affected, the first to close, the last to open. When if the pandemic increases, it has nothing to do with the casinos being open. Closing the casinos is not fixing the pandemic, but opening the casinos is helping to revive the economy, boost employment, improve investments and receive more taxes.”
