Right off the bat let's get the facts out...there is no legalized gambling in Baja or any other part of Mexico. Not yet anyway. It's that 'yet' part that keeps bubbling up to the surface of conversations every now and again. Of all of the rumors that come and go about Mexico, this one never seems to go away.
Gambling in Mexico is illegal. But so was gambling in California until just a few short years ago. Now every person in the Golden State is within a one hour's drive of a casino. And there are those that say that legalized gambling is right around the corner in Mexico for many of the same basic reasons that it is now popular in California.
The reasons that Mexico might consider legalizing gambling in drive down resorts like Rosarito Beach and Ensenada and fly donw resorts like Cabo San Lucas and Loreto are obviously financial. There is no question that offering legalized gambling in a popular vacation destination located just a couple of hours away from the southwest United States would bring tens of millions of well needed dollars into the Mexican economy.
In addition to the gambling revenue that would be created, it is also assumed that real estate prices in these towns would increase significantly if gambling was legalized, as would the construction of more homes and condos. And of course many additional jobs would be created for the local people if casinos and additional housing were needed.
Carlos Fiesta has had many conversations with Gringos and Mexicans over the years about the legalized gambling issue in Mexico. The plan would be to legalize gambling only in a few specific resort areas of the country, cities such as Rosarito Beach, Loreto, Cabo San Lucas, Cancun and Acapulco. Gambling woud remain illegal in the vast majority of the country, and the local citizens would not be allowed to gamble, even in those few cities where gambling was legalized.
Changing the laws of Mexico to allow gambling would be no small undertaking. Like anywhere else in the world, it would be a political hot potato with heated debate on both sides of the coin (pun intended). But money talks and if the Mexican economy ever takes a serious dip, the gambling option would be one sure way to bring additional revenue into the economy. Will it ever happen? Most people in the know say it will not. But that's what they said about gambling in California just a few years ago. A tip from Carlos Fiesta...alway split Aces and Eights.
The San Nicolas Hotel in Ensenada is an example of how the gambling camel has gotten it's nose under the Baja palapa. This historic hotel now has slot machines that provide tokens that can be redeemed for cash. For some reason this is not considered gambling. Go figure!
GAMBLING IN BAJA