Mexico’s casino business has been at the center of controversy since the war. sheinbaum government It reported that 13 gambling establishments colluding with drug cartels have been shut down.
match in mexico … Criminalized for much of the 20th century, it was legalized during his six-year term. vincent fox (2000-2006), casinos also became a good source of revenue for the government through the taxes paid.
Gambling and games of chance have always had a criminal aspect, due to the clandestine operation of casinos before their legalization, and their association with drug trafficking after their legalization.
In different parts of the country, it is common for cartels to control various areas of a casino’s day-to-day operations, such as customer safety, controls against fraud and fraud, the supply of tobacco and alcohol, and even parking.
Corporate structures do not always appear. Secret card games, roulette, and high-stakes cockfights are common in rural Mexico.
This Tuesday, authorities zeroed in on 13 casinos that were shut down on suspicion of money laundering and tax evasion. Some of them are digital casinos.
The federal government did not say which casinos were closed, but acknowledged that two of them belonged to Grupo Salinas, a conglomerate currently in conflict with Claudia Sheinbaum and which operates various television channels that provide critical coverage of the government.
Prosecutor Griselle Galeano identified the entirety of the casino’s criminal scheme. It begins with a bettor registering and receiving a prepaid card containing illegal money. The person bets digitally, registering the bet voluntarily or in some cases unconsciously. The person wins, but the casino never informs the person and the amount. The winnings will be sent to tax havens for “money laundering”.
The scheme reportedly used online gambling platforms operated from Malta and the United Arab Emirates, which are outside Mexican supervision.
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Other fraud patterns revealed by the US Marshal Omar Garcia Harfucciwhich consisted of impersonating someone such as a housewife, worker, or retiree, and simulating wagers and prizes.
Mr. Sheinbaum had already warned last month that the government was working to regulate the activities of digital casinos, as their profits have been growing strongly, especially among young people.
The 2026 budget that Mr. Sheinbaum sent to Congress proposes increasing the tax on games that involve betting and drawings, both in-person and digitally, from 30% to 50%.
This document indicates that this measure aims to: Incorporating foreign platforms into national tax systems In addition to operating in Mexico without a physical facility, it also strengthens collections and ensures fairer tax regulation for the entire sector.
The Ministry of Finance estimates that the increase will allow the collection of 250 million euros in 2026.
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