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Mexico’s supreme court asleep on gaming regulation
Over one year ago, on 4 October 2005, the lower House of the Mexican Parliament filed constitutional charges against the Federal Government for the previous month publishing a Presidential decree approving the Regulation of the Federal Gaming and Betting Law, based on the 1949 law, while the new law was still being debated.
Since then the charge has been taking an exceptionally long Mexican siesta in the nation’s Supreme Court. Federal delegates in the previous administration two years ago presented similar arguments that the Regulation for the operation of gaming and betting contradicted the prevailing law. Now the Board of the Chamber of Delegates is considering demanding that the Supreme Court resolves the case put before it in 2004, and makes a ruling.
At the same time delegates from the PRD party are proposing reconvening the Commission in charge of examining how licences were granted for the opening of slots parlours and betting shops in Mexico. Delegate Camerino Eleazar Marquez said: “This regulation has generated the proliferation of betting shops, ‘mini’ casinos and also the invasion of television with lotteries, raffles and betting where children can participate.”
The federal legislator commented that being examined was a call for the Executive to respect the division of powers enshrined in Article 49 of the Mexican constitution, and not to encroach on the powers exclusively allocated to the Legislature. The Regulation authorizing the licences was presented by ex-Secretary of State Santiago Creel, who was subsequently investigated but exonerated by his peers.
