The ICE World Gaming Forum (Monday 20th – Wednesday 22nd January 2025, Fira Gran Via Barcelona) has underlined its reputation for being the ‘Davos of Gaming’ with confirmation that it has secured Vicente Fox, the 62nd President of Mexico as one of its keynote speakers.
The former President will headline the World Regulatory Briefing taking place on Monday 20 January where he will address the topic of ‘Regulation and Revitalisation’ and the requirements needed to balance economic growth with community protection.
A critic of the populist movements sweeping the region, he will outline his business-centric approach to the development of Mexico, and the opportunities which exist for operators in the region.
Previewing the keynote, which reflects the importance of Latin America as a leading voice in the global gambling industry, international broadcaster and Chair of the 2025 ICE World Gaming Forum Nadine Dereza, whose career has seen her interview politicians including Kofi Annan, Condoleezza Rice, Ban Ki-moon and Gerhard Schröder said: “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 licenses in the market.
“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”
Providing insight to the dynamics of the market, 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% 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.”
A charismatic reformer and noted economist, Vicente Fox is credited for playing a vital role in Mexico’s democratisation, and with strengthening the country’s economy after having previously served as CEO and President of Coca-Cola in Mexico.
After leaving office in 2006, President Fox and his wife Marta founded Centro Fox, an education non-profit dedicated to discovering, exercising, and harnessing the leadership qualities in the Global South. The non-profit is now housed at the Vicente Fox Centre of Studies, Library, and Museum in San Cristobal, Mexico. He has also served as Co-President of Centrist Democrat International, the umbrella organisation for global centre-right political parties.
