Operator News
Mexico – Governor opposes Azteca Casino in Veracruz
By Phil - 15 October 2018
The governor of the Mexican state of Veracruz, Miguel Angel Yunes Linares, has ruled against the construction of a TV Azteca casino in the municipality of Yanga, one of the poorest areas in the region.
Local government bodies together with the Veracruz Coordination Group, a task force including state and federal law enforcement agencies, have together analysed the possibility of a casino in the area and decided jointly that, “This casino should not be installed in Yanga,” the governor said.
Earlier this month it was revealed that Mexico’s Interior Ministry (SEGOB) had granted the second-largest mass media company TV Azteca a 25-year long licence that grants the company permission to operate a land based casino as well as offer online gambling.
According to official documents, the casino will be located in an area of land in the downtown area of Veracruz, which currently operates as an auto parts shop.
Governor Yunes said that more investment was required for other projects and that the area itself was dangerous with high levels of crime. “Veracruz requires more universities, more schools, more sports centres, more parks, more institutions in which young people are shown a good path,” said Governor Yunes after chairing a meeting of the Veracruz Coordination Group.”We do not require casinos; we do not want casinos in Veracruz.”
According to La Reforma newspaper, the licence was granted by the Head of the Gaming Board within SEGOB Eduardo Cayetano Cacho Silva last month. TV Azteca is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate owned by Grupo Salinas a corporate conglomerate formed in 2001 by several Mexican companies.
