The ICE World Gaming Forum (Monday, January 20 to Wednesday, January 22, 2025, Fira Gran Via Barcelona) has reinforced its reputation as the 'Davos of Gaming' with the confirmation that it has secured Vicente Fox, the 62nd president of Mexico, as one of its main speakers.
The former president will be the main attraction at the World Regulatory Briefing which will take place on Monday, January 20, where he will address the topic "Regulation and Revitalization" and the necessary requirements to balance economic growth with community protection.
A critic of the populist movements sweeping the region, he will describe his business-centered approach to Mexico's development and the opportunities that exist for operators in the region.
Looking forward to the lecture, which reflects the importance of Latin America as a leading voice in the global gambling industry, the international broadcaster and president of the ICE World Gaming Forum in 2025, Nadine Dereza, whose career has seen her interview politicians like Kofi Annan, Condoleezza Rice, Ban Ki-moon, and Gerhard Schröder, said: "As the president responsible for streamlining Mexico's complex gambling structure in the early 2000s, Vicente Fox paved the way for easier legalization of gaming, going on to grant the overwhelming majority of the current 763 licenses in the market".
“The former president had previously stated that he favored casinos as a fiscal benefit to reduce Mexico's dependence on the unpredictable income from oil and for the growth of the local tourism industry, while also emphasizing the need to ensure that they operated in a controlled and supervised manner”.
Providing insights into market dynamics, the senior conference producer at Clarion Gaming, Damien-Ashton-Wellman, added: “With online sports betting projected to be worth $1.24 billion just this year and with an annual growth rate projected at 8.45% until 2029, Mexico is one of the hottest markets in Latin America after Brazil.
The last election put him at the forefront of the gaming industry after the country's Supreme Court decided that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's ban on slot machines was unconstitutional. This historic decision not only challenges the existing restrictions on slot machines but also opens the doors for the introduction of roulette and dice games in Mexican casinos.
President Fox's presence at ICE contributes to the event's industry-defining reputation by bringing together key decision-makers and providing a gateway to Latin America. He will also participate in an exclusive roundtable for guests of the iGB Executive, the new annual C-level member community of Clarion Gaming
”.
A charismatic reformer and renowned economist, Vicente Fox is credited with playing a vital role in democratizing Mexico and strengthening the country's economy after having previously served as CEO and president of Coca-Cola in Mexico.
After leaving office in 2006, President Fox and his wife Marta founded the Fox Center, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to discovering, exercising, and leveraging leadership qualities in the Global South.
The non-profit organization is now based at the Vicente Fox Center of Studies, Library, and Museum in San Cristobal, Mexico. He also served as co-chair of the Centrist Democrat International, the umbrella organization of global center-right political parties.
Source: GMB
