Notwithstanding official ban, a new casino has opened in Mexico.
Only days after AMLO passed the prohibition on new licenses, a casino opened in Mexicali.
An illegal casino has opened in Mexico.
New licenses for casinos have been issued in Mexico despite a statewide prohibition, sparking heated controversy inside the country.
Mexicali, the capital of Baja California, saw the opening of a new gaming complex only days after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador banned issuing new licenses to casinos.
Information supplied by local officials indicates that the launch is in response to a request for a permission extension from a business that currently operates two casinos in the area. On March 22, after approval of the building and land use permits by the local authorities, the aforementioned opening took place.
According to AMLO, “if there is a new license, it will be revoked since the directive is not to give licenses for casinos,” as he said at one of his regular morning news conferences, the permission issuing authority is the Ministry of the Interior (Segob).
While this has been the government’s core attitude since taking office in 2019, new casinos have opened around the country and none have closed.
It’s not the first time a president has gotten involved in a debate about whether or not to provide licenses to casinos, but experts say the debate has little bearing on the real world.
