Who wouldn’t believe the enormous growth potential that exists in the Mexican gaming industry? Maybe the greatest in the whole American continent; but when asked about the potential for investment in that region, however much we would like to do otherwise, we leave Mexico to one side.

The truth is that the gaming industry is managed within the parameters of total responsibility. We are not talking about the responsibility of operators of casinos, gaming halls, lotteries, racetracks or online gaming, we are talking about our responsibility - that of marketing companies, the media, gaming event organizers, etc., those who form part of the support agencies of this industry that feeds us.

I have visited Mexico at times over the last eight years with a view to finding the ideal way for operating gaming there, and I’ve visited Monterrey since the start because in this vibrant city function slot machine venues where winnings are awarded with tokens to be exchanged for prizes at businesses ‘around the corner.’

If those businesses that pay the prizes are connected to the slots venues that give them, then they are not relevant to this argument. Suffice it to say that the form permitted by the local authorities in Monterrey is not strictly legal under the established federal Gaming and Lottery Law 1947.

When lawyers in Mexico present the ‘way’ to open slot machine businesses in Monterrey and other Mexican cities by using judicial rulings, we prefer to remain the other side of the Rio Grande together with our investment until there is proper legislation. It is easy to imagine risking a few million of one's private funds, but in the gaming industry taking a risk on a venture is not what operators or investors do. We leave the gambling to other people.

The difference between investors with operations outside the regulations added to the 1947 law, approved on 17 September 2004, proposed by ex Secretary of State and now Senator Santiago Creel, and those that operate within the scope and with licences as established by the law, is found in the risk factors of the investment. The former risk their investment in ventures that are not fully compliant with the law.

Those who invest in gaming without the authorisation granted by the Secretary of State find themselves in a grey area legally, with questionable judicial rulings and municipal permits. In one way or another, these businesses function with the backing of the judiciary but without permission from the Mexican regulatory body with the licensing powers. To operate at the periphery of the law creates questions about security management, both corporate and physical, for the benefit of the betting public.

The businesses may make millions, but this is not to say that everything is rosy. The attempted assassination of the owner of one of the biggest slot machine operations in Mexico last month demonstrates that where the regulations or law are not clear, the law of the jungle reigns. In June armed gangs assaulted various locations in Monterrey and other cities, leaving one young customer dead. In these situations of legal insecurity, the principal element of gaming – security – cannot be run efficiently.

As responsible professionals it is not possible to say that great opportunities can be found for gaming investment in Mexico. Having spent dozens of years in the gaming industry, in both operations and in supporting agencies, it is clear that the subject takes study and the application of knowledge in a measured and responsible way. This is what operators do, and those in the gaming support industry should do the same. (E-12.10.07)

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