Gambling in American History

 With a population approaching 100 million and an active tourist industry, Mexico could expect to be a lucrative market for casino gambling. Actually, for many decades in the early twentieth century, it was. Casinos performed well in cities bordering the United States, drawing in gamers from their northern neighbor. The casinos were associated with corruption, however, and following the election of reform president Lazaro Cardenas, they were closed down in 1938.  The casinos of Tijuana and Mexicali had been very popular with Americans, and hopes have remained over the past six decades that they could reopen.
Indeed, discussions for reopening casinos have had the appearance of being quite serious. In the 1990s the discussions had an increasing measure of urgency, especially as economic troubles in Mexico increased. In 1996 the final draft of legislation for legalization was prepared for the National Congress. The plan called for ten casinos, one each to be located in a tourist city or border town. Sites selected included Tijuana, Juarez, Mexico City, Acapulco, Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, Cozemal, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta, and Reynosa. Many U.S. companies rushed their representatives to Mexico City to offer governmental officials their proposals. The Mexican Tourism Agency studied the issue of casino gambling and concluded that the gambling would benefit the tourist economy.
As with every proposal before, however, just when action was about to be taken, forces of resistance intervened. Governmental corruption again was exposed, as was an increasing drug trade and involvement of organized crime operatives close to the government. Fears were expressed by leading politicians that casinos could be dangerous and that they could aid drug dealers with money-laundering services. In 1997 the proposal was set aside. The talk continues.
Mexico, while reluctant to embrace casinos, has embraced many other forms of gambling. The lottery has been active all throughout the nation’s history, even in its colonial era. There are dog races and horse races and sports betting opportunities on international soccer as well as on all major U.S. sports events, both professional and collegiate.