Mexico Giving Home to Poker Refugees

Poker is a way of life for a good number of people worldwide, and for many, it is actually their only livelihood. However, even with the knowledge that people do go professional with poker, a number of governments still hesitate to legalize it. Granted poker is not a profession that calls for a great education like medicine, teaching, engineering and such, but still, it offers an opportunity for people to earn a living. Unfortunately for poker lovers, the betting game that is poker is still viewed in many countries as a pre-occupation that lacks respectability. The fact that there is sometimes a history of people who fell from riches to poverty through gambling makes many people and governments weary of poker and related betting games.

Legality of Poker in Mexico

Playing the game of poker in Mexico has been the order of the day for Mexicans and visitors as well. Poker lovers enjoy visiting the many casinos in the country because there is no harassment from the authorities and there is also no discrimination within the gaming fraternity. Other poker lovers opt to play online poker from the comfort of their homes. In fact, people in Mexico hardly made poker law an issue for discussion because the atmosphere has always been welcoming for gamblers even those interested in online poker or any other form of online gambling. Even some known names in the field of poker, like Bryce Daifuku, have always found Mexico a better place to hone their skills than their home countries. Daifuku is American.

Recently, however, there has been talk about the state online poker law in Mexico changing. In fact, there is a draft underway and just awaiting debate and legal procedures. One of the aspects that are up for debate is whether to confine online gambling within Mexico to Mexicans only or to continue accommodating citizens of other countries on the online gambling sites. If the state poker law locks out foreigners from online poker sites hosted in Mexico, it will be putting Mexico in the category of countries like Spain and France. These two countries have legally locked out foreigners from home-based online gambling sites. For the period since that ban became effective, the exchequer has felt the pinch as revenues from foreign based gamblers whose income was being taxed have disappeared.

It is not clear what impact the new state online poker law will have on Mexico’s economy, but the rate of taxation will definitely be a factor. Possibly Mexico just needs to consider its unique position without necessarily copying the poker law in either France or Spain because any negative impact would be felt more seriously in Mexico because of its massive population. The population of France and Spain combined is still less than that of Mexico. Those two countries have a population of 66 million and 46 million respectively, while Mexico’s population is 122 million.

Vibrant Casinos and Great Weather

While some foreigners come and take up residency in Mexico purposely to enjoy the great gaming environment, others stick around because of the friendly weather; the friendly gambling atmosphere being just the icing on the cake for them. Some of the Mexican casinos buzzing with activity include Caliente, Emotion, PlayCity and Yak Casino in Acapulco; M Casino in Agua Prieta; Casino Life, Dubai Palace and others in Benito Juarez; PlayWin in Cabo San Lucas; Crown Casino, Casino Fortune and others in Chihuahua; Caliente Casino in Los Cabos; Big Bola-Santa Fe and Caliente Casino-Interlomas Plaza Magnocentral in Mexico City; and very many others. Suffice it to say, casinos in Mexico are in their hundreds and as it is today, no poker law has been passed to restrict any person from playing either in these casinos or on online gambling sites.