Mexican newspaper Reforma has been accused of lying over claims that 20 casinos were licensed to a company linked to the family of detained former politician Hernán Bermúdez Requena.
Both the national gambling regulator and trade body AIEJA have dismissed the reports and accused the newspaper of lying about how the licences were granted.
SEGOB, the Mexico gambling regulator, issued a statement on its website on Monday confirming that the licences connected to Bermúdez Requena were only issued after a court order granted them.
On Monday, the front cover of newspaper Reforma, which has previously been accused of right-wing bias, featured a story claiming that 20 casino licences had been authorised to Compañía Operadora Clíe, a company linked to Bermúdez Requena.
Bermúdez Requena, formerly the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection of the state of Tabasco, is currently detained in Mexico and facing criminal charges.
He has been accused of being the leader of the criminal organisation La Barredora, which functions as an operational arm of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Claims reported in Reforma
The licences in question were allegedly approved in the final year of previous Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s tenure.
Reforma’s story cited an investigation from a group dubbed Mexicans and Corruptions and Impunity (MCCI), a non-profit association that seeks to eradicate systemic corruption in Mexico’s public and private sectors.
However, the regulator has since clarified that the licences were granted by the Metropolitan Regional Chamber of Administrative Justice to Clie SA de CV. It said these casinos had not yet started operations.
It also said the Centenario and Diamante casinos, as well as the website CrownCityBets, had had their licences suspended since the court order.
Notably, it said the 20 licences were also operated under permits assigned to separate entities and not Clie SA de CV, contrary to Reforma’s report.
Former SEGOB chief hits out at Reforma
Luisa María Alcalde, who served as the head of SEGOB between 2023 and 2024, also rebutted Reforma’s claims this week.
She stated the company linked to Bermúdez Requena’s family had received a single licence in 2017, under the government of Enrique Peña Nieto.
Alcalde also confirmed that when she joined SEGOB, Clie SA de CV had filed a lawsuit against the regulator for denying 20 permits it had requested since 2018.
SEGOB complied with the subsequent court order and issued the licences, but with limitations laid out in the ruling. This meant the licence did not cover slot machines, dice, card and roulette games.
Alcalde claimed the limitations had dampened the company’s interest in operating, and the licences had not been utilised so far.
“Mexicans who favour corruption, in their typical fashion, want to link me to the former secretary of public security of Tabasco,” Alcalde said in a video on X.
“They even published a photograph from an event where, when I was secretary of the interior, absolutely all the state secretaries of public security participated, and all or most of them asked me for a photograph.
“I had never seen this Requena character in my life. In all the positions I have held, I have [never] committed a single act of corruption or dishonesty.”
Gambling trade body weighs in
The Association of Licence Holders, Operators and Suppliers of the Entertainment and Gaming Industry in Mexico (AIEJA) also commented on the case, expressing its “respectful support” for the regulator’s position and Alcalde’s clarifications.
The AIEJA also hinted at Reforma misreporting the story, stating: “In this regard, AIEJA considers it essential that information related to permits, authorisations, establishments and operations in the sector be treated with objectivity, truthfulness and strict adherence to documented facts.
“Based on this premise, the association calls for responsible and accurate public discourse on issues related to this industry, in order to preserve the legal certainty of a formally regulated sector subject to ongoing supervision.”
Kyle Goldsmith
Kyle has been with Clarion since December 2023, joining from the world of sports journalism, subsequently becoming a LatAm-facing senior reporter with iGB.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/casino-games/land-based-casino/mexico-regulator-clears-up-reports-crime-linked-casino-licences/
