According to the legislative initiative, the proliferation of illegal machines "has aggravated the social and economic situation of the inhabitants".
Mexico.- Deputy Zulma Verenice Guerrero Cázares, from the Democratic Unity of Coahuila (UDC), presented a proposal to modify the state Penal Code, specifically adding article 338 BIS.
The proposal seeks to criminalize the operation of unauthorized gambling games in the state, typifying the crime of "Operation of Unauthorized Gambling Games" and establishing penalties of between two and four years in prison and fines of between 3000 and 5000 days of salary for those who manufacture, market, store, install, possess or profit from slot machines, also known as "mini casinos".
According to the proposal, slot machines or mini casinos are those devices that, through the use of money, chips, electronic cards, or credits, offer the possibility of winning cash prizes, goods, or services. Additionally, the definition would include devices that operate autonomously or connected to a network, even those with betting and gambling simulation software.
The deputy emphasized that, in 2012, a constitutional reform established that Municipal Urban Development Plans prohibited the use of land for casinos and betting centers. However, she pointed out that the uncontrolled proliferation of mini casinos in businesses such as convenience stores, especially in neighborhoods and popular areas, jeopardizes that reform.
Guerrero Cázares warned that these devices pose a threat to the economy of the most vulnerable sectors, promoting gambling addiction, affecting minors and housewives who seek to improve their economic situation through chance.
In 2024, with the participation of elements from the State Police along with the Public Security Secretariat of Saltillo, Coahuila, an operation was carried out where more than 200 illegal slot machines were seized in different regions of the entity.
The operation, which was carried out simultaneously, also involved the State Attorney General's Office and the Commissariat of Security and Citizen Protection of Saltillo.
