Could Mexico ban slot machines? Really? If their Secretary of the Interior, Luisa María Alcalde Luján, has her way, then yes. And believe it or not, the President of Mexico is already on board with the proposal! So what the hell is going on? The Mexican Secretary of the Interior would like to reform and repeal various regulations associated with the Federal Gaming and Sweepstakes Laws. Her goal appears to be an attack on our industry that would reduce the duration of casino permits, while eliminating slot machines altogether. If we do see Mexico ban slot machines, they will be…

Play’n GO has entered the Mexican online gaming market for the first time after agreeing to supply its full suite of games to operator Logrand Entertainment Group. Logrand, which currently runs 14 casinos across the country, is soon to launch its new interactive division, Strendus. The deal sees slots developer Play’n GO continue its global expansion, with the company having recently made progress in the Czech Republic, Spain and Colombia. Johan Tornqvist, chief executive at Play’n GO, said: “Logrand is a well-established casino operator in the Mexican market, and we’re pleased to be partnering them in our first foray into…

A long-delayed rewrite of gambling laws to permit online gambling in Mexico are a bad bet to be approved before 2018, according to the head of the country’s gambling industry association. Last week, Miguel Angel Ochoa Sanchez, president of AIEJA, told Mexican media outlet Milenio.com that he didn’t see Mexico’s new Law of Games and Sweepstakes passing in the current legislative session that concludes on August 31, 2018, one month after national elections. Sanchez’s position is a turnaround from comments he made last summer in which he predicted that the law would be approved in 2016. The Mexican legislature’s lower…

NetEnt has gone live in Latin America for the first time after confirming that its content is now available through Codere’s online casino network in Mexico. The games developer late last year signed a licence agreement with Codere – which has a significant presence in Latin America – to enter the regulated online casino market in the country. NetEnt can provide its games to Codere through the Spain-based company’s existing operator licence. Codere is one of the largest casino operators in Mexico and has an operator license for both land-based and online casino operations. Speaking in December when the two…

Calvin Ayre – Its no secret that there is a lot of opportunity in Latin America for businesses, especially digital businesses and of course this includes online gambling.  When we discuss opportunities in Latin America at conferences or around the water cooler, we tend to focus on Brazil, or Panama or sometimes Columbia and Chile, but we rarely hear about the potential in Mexico. What strikes me as most interesting about this region is that the opportunity is there right now, not “at some point” or “maybe later this year” as it is in Brazil and in 47 states in…