Legislation to make Mexico’s gambling regulations more stable and transparent is expected to be approved by Congress by the end of this month.
“The work is almost over,” said Miguel Angel Ochoa Sanchez, president of the Association of Licensees, Operators and Suppliers of Gaming and Entertainment in Mexico. “It’s a very ambitious project.”
Reports are that the reforms will raise the minimum age to play in casinos to 21, offer operators a system of 10-year licenses, regulate online gambling, and establish a new industry Advisory Council composed of the secretaries of Health, Tourism, Economics and Government and non-governmental organizations.
“The new law is going to put some order in the gambling world by regulating it and by fixing some issues we have now,” said Fernando Zarate Salgado, who heads the Commission on Gaming in the Chamber of Deputies.
He added that he expects “99 percent” of lower house members to approve it.
The law governing gaming in Mexico dates back to 1947 and is considered outdated and ineffective in dealing with the industry’s growth and the problems associated with it, such as corruption and money laundering.
