internationalcasinoreview News SOUTH & CENTRAL AMERICA
Murderous attack throws tragic light into grey area
As Mexico comes to terms with the latest outrage of the drug cartels and mourns the dozens of victims of the arson attack in Monterrey, calls to regulate casinos and to combat corruption are getting louder.
tollingbell MEXICO
A devastating arson attack at the Casino Royale in Monterrey, north- ern Mexico on August 25, in which 52 people died, has created wide- spread disgust and calls for better policing and regulation of casinos in the country. Mexican authorities have said that the murderous act was under- taken by members of the Los Zetas drug cartel: gunmen burst into the casino in broad daylight, doused the area with petrol and set it alight. Panicked customers and staff tried to reach the exits or to escape through back offices and toilets, however the smoke that spread rapidly overcame many. President Felipe Calderon of
Mexico called the attack “an abhor- rent act of terror and savagery” and the perpetrators “true terrorists”. Five members of the cartel have
been arrested and apparently admitted their involvement, according to officials. A police officer has also been arrested. The government has offered rewards of 15m pesos (E841,000) for informa- tion leading to the arrest of around 18 others.
The men are said to have told police that the attack “got out of hand” and they had meant only to intimidate Casino Royale’s owner, who had refused to pay protection money to the gang. Raul Rocha Cantu, fled to Florida in fear of his life after the incident and has talked to an attaché of the Nuevo Leon Attorney General’s office there, it has been reported.
In a letter to the El Norte news-
paper, Rocha said: “I am willing to provide my statement when the authorities can guarantee that my life is not in danger.” A further scandal is brewing with the arrest of Jonas Larrazabal,
brother of Monterrey’s mayor Fer- nando Larrazabal, after pictures were published of him apparently accepting bundles of cash from several casinos in the city. Beyond the horror of the events
in August, the attack and the Larraz- abal affair has also turned a spot- light on the legal fudge that allows casinos to operate in Mexico. Presi- dent Calderon referred to it in his annual address to the nation on September 2, calling for dozens of poorly regulated casinos to be investigated as well as “possible cases of corruption… whomever they concern.” A few days later, the Attorney
Correa gives casinos six months to close
termlimit ECUADOR
Having won his referendum and passed the necessary leg- islation, President Rafael Correa of Ecuador has announced that the 32 cur- rently legal casinos in the country must close in March 2012. Around 150 gaming salons, plus any illegal casinos, must cease opera- tions with immediate effect. In August, Correa had announced that casinos would have two years to close their doors, however, and for no reason given, he has shortened the grace period considerably.
In a statement, he said that all 5,000 casino employees, of which around 2,000 work for the legally constituted venues that operate in five- star hotels, would be sup- ported in their search for new jobs. He said: “Of course we are
worried about them and we will also support them as much as possible.” Meetings have also been held with the owners of illegal casinos. “We will give training, credits, help with looking for new jobs but we cannot work miracles. These casinos should never have existed.”
One of the complaints of 24 October 2011 • south&centralamericanews
the trade body that repre- sents legal casinos, the Asso- ciation of Casinos and Bingo Halls, is that investors - including foreign investors - will lose their money, an amount they estimate to total around US$180m (E132m). However, Correa contends that most have already made back their investment. “If there is anyone who has not recov- ered [it], we can talk,” he said. “We are not closed to dia- logue.”
He added: “However, our
concern is with the workers, to make sure they get ade- quate compensation and relocate them if possible.”
President Rafael Correa: “Our concern is with the workers”
General Marisela Morales said that the government would widen its crackdown on corruption. She said: “We see it at all levels. This is most serious in what is happening - fre- quently, police are at the service or organised crime, especially local police.” Ricki Chavez-Munoz,
the
respected commentator on Latin American gaming, has said that the attack should not be used as a weapon against the casino indus- try, rather as a reason to regulate it properly. He wrote in Casino Com- pendium: “Casinos use the betting and lotteries regulations tag to comply with current legislation…
Bill to ban ATMs in Santa Fe casinos A local bill that would ban ATMs in casinos, bingo halls and slot salons has won preliminary approval in Santa Fe Province in Argentina. Deputy Simoniello Leonardo, who is promoting the measure, believes it will help keep problem gamblers under better supervision. “ATMs in gaming halls can be harmful for the individual…Neither the casino nor entrepreneurs are to blame for this but the state must call attention to the issue.”
Firefighters combat the arson attack on Casino Royale in Monterrey
Whenever a group has asked me to consult for ventures in Mexico, a no go report has been the result as the legal situation of gaming permits is not clear.” He continued: “It has [taken] a 52-death tragedy at the Casino Royale in Monterrey for the Mexican government to raise the voice of alarm on the legal situa- tion of many local casinos. However, this has given a free rein to an incessant attack on all gaming operations in Mexico by the usual detractors and some new ones thrown in, as election fever raises the temperature of politicians seeking media prominence.”
New gaming regulator for Jujuy Province
allchange ARGENTINA
The Executive of Jujuy Province in north west Argentina is to create a Provincial Gambling Administration (APJA) that will be the regulatory and supervisory body for casinos and slot halls in the region.
The move will separate casinos and salons from lotteries, which will
continue to be overseen by the Bank for Social Action (BAS). The new body will draw its staff from those
currently working in the sector at BAS and will also transfer personnel who deal indirectly with casinos.
APJA will be headed by an administrator, who will have the rank of Secretary of State, and who will be appointed by the provincial Governor. The appointee will be able to stay in post indefinitely, although a formal re-appointment process will take place every two years. Two assistant co-ordinators will be appointed by the Executive.
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