The news magazine Proceso reported that in 2000, at the start of the first of two consecutive PAN presidential terms, Mexico had 123 casinos and now has 790, both legal and illegal.Ĭasinos in Mexico are seen as magnets for organized crime, extortion and money laundering. Gambling houses have proliferated in Mexico in more than 10 years of governments led by the conservative, business-friendly National Action Party, or PAN. Tensions have also reemerged in recent days between local and federal officials over the authorization of casinos. The Casino Royale had been targeted by gunmen twice this year, and was briefly shut down in May over code violations, reports said. Gomez, the lawyer, said on Saturday that his client was not responsible for the deaths because the attack was out of the establishment’s control (link in Spanish). Most of the victims, the majority of whom were middle-aged women, died of smoke inhalation after being trapped in the rear of the casino when gunmen burst in and set a fire.
