The debt faced by Atracciones y Emociones Vallarta includes updates and fines, and is the highest recorded in the betting sector.
Mexico.- Atracciones y Emociones Vallarta (AEV), one of the main casino operators in Mexico, faces a historic tax debt of MX$2.892m (USD 140.6m), imposed by the Tax Administration Service (SAT).
This debt corresponds to an omission in 2012, when the company did not withhold 30 percent of the Special Tax on Production and Services (IEPS) that gamblers visiting their casinos must pay.
The tax credit, which has been identified as the most substantial in the betting sector in the country, was notified on January 3, 2023. In response, AEV has turned to the Federal Administrative Justice Court to try to annul the debt, arguing that the notification through the tax mailbox was illegal, among other points of conflict.
This case dates back to 2017, when the SAT had already set a similar debt, but AEV achieved a favorable ruling that forced the authority to review certain irregularities in the procedures. One of the key points in dispute is the lack of clarity around the basis on which the IEPS should be calculated since the creation of this tax in 2008.
See also: Court in Mexico revokes restrictions and opens the door to new games in casinos
Although the Court resolved in 2017 that the retention should be applied on the total amount charged on the gamblers' cards, not on their winnings or losses, the sector continues to face confusion around the regulation.
During the day on responsible gaming, the security advisor highlighted the importance of analyzing gaming in the Basque Country to develop public policies aimed at preventing problematic gambling.
Spain.- On the occasion of the “International Day of Responsible Gaming” celebrated on February 17, the Basque Gaming Observatory organized the day “The socialization of gaming in Euskadi”, which was inaugurated this Wednesday, February 12, by the Security Councilor, Bingen Zupiria, accompanied by the Vice Chancellor of the Bizkaia Campus of the UPV/EHU, Estitxu Garai, and the Director of Gaming and Shows of the Basque Government, Aitor Uriarte.
During the meeting, Jonatan García, associate professor and researcher at the Department of Sociology and Social Work of the UPV/EHU, presented the latest report from the Observatory: “Prevalence, habits, and profiles of gamers in Euskadi”, a radiography of the social reality of gaming in Euskadi that highlights substantial differences depending on the sex, age, and socioeconomic level of the gamers, as well as the growing relevance of online gaming among the youth.
In the same session, Patricia Martínez Redondo, a social anthropologist expert in addiction and gender studies, analyzed in her presentation “Socialization in gambling” how the population interacts with gaming in their daily lives and its potential risks.
Then, the expert technicians in gaming policies, Beatriz Anitua, from the Directorate of Gaming and Shows of the Basque Government, María del Mar Lamikiz, from the Provincial Council of Álava, Estíbaliz Urreaga, from the City Council of Donostia/San Sebastián, and Saray Muñoz, from the City Council of Portugalete, debated in a round table about the situation of gaming from an institutional perspective.
During his intervention, the Security Councilor Bingen Zupiria emphasized the importance of analyzing and evaluating the situation of gaming in Euskadi “in order to have a broad view of gaming, and to be able to carry out appropriate and efficient public policies. Public policies must be aimed at avoiding and preventing problematic or even pathological gaming”.
The new study from the Basque Gaming Observatory presented today during the session confirms the strong presence of gaming in Basque society. The data collected show that 92.8 percent of the population has played at some point in their life, while 85.8 percent have done so in the last year.
This significant increase compared to the previous study (70.5 percent in 2020) is due, in large part, to the recognition of the Christmas and Child lotteries as gambling, a modality that was not always perceived as such before. Thus, the extraordinary draws of the National Lottery (92.2 percent), the primitive (37 percent), and the ONCE coupon (16.6 percent) are positioned at the top of participation in gaming, far from other types of gaming.
The report also emphasizes that participation in gambling varies significantly depending on gender. While men and women play in similar proportions, the preferred types of games and the reasons for playing differ notably.
Men predominantly lean towards sports betting, pools, and slot machines, both in their physical and online versions. In particular, sports betting is clearly masculinized: 9.8 percent of men participate in it physically compared to only 2.8 percent of women. In its online version, 2.2 percent of men play, while no female presence is recorded in this category.
On the other hand, women show a greater preference for more traditional and socially accepted games, such as the extraordinary draws of the National Lottery, where they surpass men in participation. Additionally, while men mostly play alone (42.7 percent), women prefer to do so with family members (38.2 percent).
The report also highlights that people with higher education have the lowest indices of problematic gaming, with only 0.3 percent at risk. In contrast, those with primary education show a rate of severe pathological gaming three times higher than the average, reaching 1.5 percent. These data suggest that educational level can act as a protective factor, as people with higher education seem to be more aware of the risks of gaming and manage their participation habits better.
One of the findings of the study is the rise of online gaming, especially among the young population, while physical gaming continues to dominate among those over 45 years old.
The most common games among young people are sports betting (37.1 percent physically and 9.7 percent online), followed by bingos (22.6 percent physically and 1.6 percent online) and casinos (17.7 percent physically and 6.3 percent online), although the extraordinary lotteries also have their weight during the Christmas period (48.4 percent). Among the older age groups, the ONCE coupon and lotteries are the most common games.
Regarding the reasons for playing, young people mention fun (32.3 percent) as the main reason, while tradition is the dominant factor among people over 65 years old (54.1 percent).
Furthermore, the report points out that the new measures to control access to gaming venues have favored a slowdown in the age of onset in gaming. In 2020, the figure for people who had started gaming before the age of 18 was 25 percent, and currently, this figure has decreased to 17.1 percent in physical gaming and 20.6 percent in online gaming.
The study also addresses the problematic of gaming from a public health perspective. For this purpose, the DSM-V scale, an international standard for assessing gaming addiction, was used. According to the results, 1.5 percent of the Basque population could be in one of the phases of problematic gaming. Of this group, 0.8 percent are in a situation of pathological gaming (mild, moderate, or severe), while another 0.7 percent are at risk of developing problems.
In absolute terms, it is estimated that around 28,000 people in Euskadi suffer from some degree of gaming disorder, although only 2,000 of them are in a severe situation.
Moreover, the study reveals that 7.5 percent of the population knows someone who has had problems with gaming, a percentage that rises to 16.7 percent when asked about their closest environment.
According to the authorities regarding the conclusions, the report from the Basque Gaming Observatory makes it clear that gaming is a widely extended activity in Euskadi and that, while most people play responsibly, it is necessary to continue applying policies that promote a socially acceptable offer.
