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Mexico – Mexico legislator calls for tougher controls on gaming

A legislator has called on a restriction on gambling and stricter controls over the industry. The deputy has put forward a new initiative whereby the Ministry of the Interior would be given more control over the industry, and would be responsible for establishing and stipulating opening and closing times for casinos.

Deputy Francisco Javier Ramírez Navarrete, who is a member of the left wing party the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), proposes amendments to the first paragraph of article 7 of the Federal Law of Games and Raffles, in order to prevent the promotion of harmful practices within the industry which he argues has led to an increase in gambling addiction.

“Today these types of places encourage the culture of leisure, because gamblers have the possibility of getting rich easily through gambling, they put at risk the bettors’ families and reduce their ability to save. They also generate social problems such as public insecurity, drug addiction, prostitution, and gambling addiction,” he said.

The deputy was especially critical of the online sector saying that according to data from the Care Centre of Gambling and Integral Growth in Mexico, up until 2013 there were about four million gamblers, but this number is increasing, “due in large part that at the moment people do not necessarily have to go to a casino or betting centre to do so, they only have to download an application on their cell phone to play.”

The lawmaker went onto say that casinos were not beneficial to the national economy, because “they are unable to produce goods and services, on the contrary, they deplete monetary resources from the economy and do not generate social benefits in places where they are installed or operate.”

He also criticised the concentration of casinos in certain states saying that that there are 409 casinos currently operational in Mexico, but only five of the 32 states house 48 per cent of these establishments: Nuevo León (45), Baja California (41), Mexico City (39), Jalisco (37) and the State from Mexico (35). In contrast, Oaxaca, Tlaxcala and Zacatecas are the only three states without gambling authorised by the Ministry of the Interior.

Any suggested changes to gaming laws put forward by the party are significant as MORENA was founded by current President López Obrador who swept to a landslide victory in the 2018 presidential election. Together with its coalition partner MORENA holds a majority of seats in both houses of Congress.

Indeed according to current proposals online gambling regulation could well come under the scope of new rules and regulations now being considered by senators belonging to the MORENA party. The lawmakers have put forward an initiative to increase taxes on gambling and change online gambling rules. The new law also seeks to give the central government more say when it comes to establishing tax rates over the industry.