- Fernando Zárate Salgado President of Mexican Gaming Commission, has announced that a new gaming bill will be presented to the House of Representatives on September 9.
- Online gambling, including online poker will be addressed in the new bill, but there are no specific details as to what the provisions will entail.
- If the law passes as it was proposed, then significant restrictions could mean that the popular sites that many players frequent would no longer be available from Mexico causing players to uproot themselves once more.
Fernando Zárate Salgado President of Mexican Gaming Commission, has announced that a new gaming bill will be presented to the House of Representatives on September 9.
He added that he expected the new law to be approved by September 20. His comments were reported by Notimex, the Mexican agency for official state announcements.
The existing laws are silent on online gambling, having been in place since 1947.
Online gambling including online poker will be addressed in the new bill, but there are no specific details as to what the provisions will entail. It is unlikely that the extreme nationalistic approach of the bill presented by Senator Maria Espinoza last May that sought to impose great restriction on online gaming operators will survive intact in the new law.
However, there will be a licensing process, and there will be new gaming taxes on online poker.
Crafted to Maximize Political Support
The text has been created by a Commission established for the purpose, rather than presented to parliament and then sent to a commission for review. The procedure has been inverted to ensure cross-party support for the new measures.
Zárate explained that the consultation had been wide, including industry representatives such as Spanish gaming company Codere, as well as small and medium sized businesses. Anti-gambling groups and academic specialists also provided evidence.
Even after the bill is passed the process will allow scope for flexibility. “We still have time to make adjustments … to present at the time when we have established the Special Committee on Casinos,” said Zárate.
Player Exodus Can Wait
Many US players established residence in Mexico in order to continue playing online poker after Black Friday. The new laws are a particular worry. If the law passes as it was proposed, then significant restrictions could mean that the popular sites that many players frequent would no longer be available from Mexico causing players to uproot themselves once more.
The usual implementation period for this type of legislation is 180 days in Mexico. The need to further evolve the regulations in response to political influence suggests that no implementation is going to be possible earlier than March 2015.
