Vicente Fox, who was president of Mexico between 2000 and 2006, has been confirmed as one of the keynote speakers of the ICE World Gaming Forum for 2025.
Fox will address ‘Regulation and Revitalisation’ and the requirements needed to balance economic growth with community protection when he headlines the World Regulatory Briefing on Monday, January 20.
“As the president responsible for rationalising Mexico's complex gambling framework in the early 2000s, Vicente Fox paved the way for easier gaming legalisation, going on to grant the overwhelming majority of the current 763 licences in the market,” said former Financial Times journalist and returning chair of the ICE World Gaming Forum for 2025, Nadine Dereza.
“The former president has previously gone on the record as favouring casinos as a tax benefit to reduce Mexico's dependence on unpredictable oil income, and for growing the local tourism industry, while emphasising the need to ensure they operate in a controlled and supervised manner.”
Clarion Gaming senior conference producer Damien-Ashton-Wellman added: “With online sports betting predicted to be worth $1.24bn this year alone, and with a projected annual growth rate of 8.45 per cent by 2029, Mexico is one of the hottest markets in Latin America after Brazil.
“The latest election has put it front and centre of the gaming industry after the country’s Supreme Court ruled that the outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s ban on slot machines was unconstitutional. This landmark ruling not only challenges the existing restrictions on slot machines but also opens the door for the introduction of roulette and dice games in Mexican casinos.
“President Fox’s attendance at ICE adds to the event’s industry-defining reputation for bringing together key-decision makers and for providing a gateway to Latin America. He will also participate in an exclusive invite-only roundtable meeting of iGB Executive, Clarion Gaming’s new annual C-level membership community.”
