Mexico Tackles Corrupt Casinos in Advance of Producing New Gambling Legislation Mexico Tackles Corrupt Casinos in Advance of Producing New Gambling Legislation
Christian Frausto Bernal, Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic
Key Takeaways
  • A crackdown on existing casinos in Mexico is an early stage in a roadmap to produce new gambling laws in Mexico according to a government report.
  • The report signed by the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Zárate Fernando Salgado, sets out a sequence of actions at the end of which will be a constitutional reform act which will replace gambling laws dating from 1947.

A crackdown on existing casinos in Mexico is an early stage in a roadmap to produce new gambling laws in Mexico, according to a government report.

The report, signed by the President of the Chamber of Deputies Zárate Fernando Salgado, sets out a sequence of actions at the end of which will be a constitutional reform act which will replace gambling laws dating back to 1947.

The casino crackdown has resulted from an investigation of corruption in awarding licenses under the previous administration. Action has centered on Entretenimiento De Mexico (EMEX), which was licensed to operate 50 gaming centers throughout the country.

Last month, Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong expressed his belief that new legislation was urgently required. He has been in charge of the action against the casinos.

“We’ve already reviewed all the establishments, and we will continue with those who are operating irregularly. All those casinos which are operating irregularly will be sanctioned appropriately,” he explained to reporters.

Clearing out legacy corruption issues has been Chong’s priority before he feels he can submit a new bill to parliament. Although much delayed, it is now possible that such a bill could be presented by the end of this year.