Questions on opening a poker room
 

So, Mexico is poised to legalize gambling for the first time in 60+ years. I live in a Border City in Mexico with 2 million people on the mexico side, plus another Million or so in texas and new mexico across the border. The closest poker room is 3 hours drive to ruidoso or 5 hours to Albuquerque. (I am in the Cd. Juarez/El Paso, TX area)

This seems like a good spot to open a poker room, so I've been tossing around the idea of doing it myself.

These are the things that I have already thought about, but was wondering if there was anything else I was missing, failing to consider.

Locale
Furniture (poker tables)
Equipment (Cards and Chips)
Security (Guards, Surveillance system)
Employees (Security, Dealers, Managers, waitresses)
Appropriate Licenses.
Advertising

and of course, the money to do all of the above.

Other things I can think of is perhaps a bus of some sort that would pick people up on the States side and drop them off at the poker room so that they feel safer comming to Mexico.

Granted this is all in stage one of planning, I just want to start forming a cost benefit analysis and all that fun stuff.

What am I missing, any other thoughts or comments?

Rico

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

tworooks?

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

It's probably illegal to run buses out of the US for illegal gambling purposes.

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

[ QUOTE ]
It's probably illegal to run buses out of the US for illegal gambling purposes.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why would it be? There's no US law against gambling -- it's all state law.

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

A few concerns:
1) A lot of your clients will be entering the US with a lot of cash, probably more than the minimum amount to invoke declaration laws.
2) Your room would be multi-lingual, which could lead to all sorts of collusion problems
3) You'd have to convert from dollars to pesos, and back?
4) You'd be a magnet for money launderers.

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

A few more concerns:

1. all of the men with guns in Cd Juarez. I think the most dangerous group is called "la policia".

Isn't this city notorious for being run by drug smuggling gangs? Haven't there been vicious gang wars with dozens of people being killed? Don't 97% of murders in Mexico go unsolved? Aren't the regional law enforcement, politicians and beaurocracy in bed with the drug smugglers?

You better have the right connections and pay off the right people. And you will need security guards who actually carry guns. Maybe off duty police would be a good idea. Of course, they would probably rob you too.

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

[ QUOTE ]
A few more concerns:

1. all of the men with guns in Cd Juarez. I think the most dangerous group is called "la policia".

Isn't this city notorious for being run by drug smuggling gangs? Haven't there been vicious gang wars with dozens of people being killed? Don't 97% of murders in Mexico go unsolved? Aren't the regional law enforcement, politicians and beaurocracy in bed with the drug smugglers?

You better have the right connections and pay off the right people. And you will need security guards who actually carry guns. Maybe off duty police would be a good idea. Of course, they would probably rob you too.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seconded. The idea of using Mexico to avoid state anti-gambling laws is completely friggin' retarded. You'd actually do better running an illegal room on the US side of the border.

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
A few more concerns:

1. all of the men with guns in Cd Juarez. I think the most dangerous group is called "la policia".

Isn't this city notorious for being run by drug smuggling gangs? Haven't there been vicious gang wars with dozens of people being killed? Don't 97% of murders in Mexico go unsolved? Aren't the regional law enforcement, politicians and beaurocracy in bed with the drug smugglers?

You better have the right connections and pay off the right people. And you will need security guards who actually carry guns. Maybe off duty police would be a good idea. Of course, they would probably rob you too.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seconded. The idea of using Mexico to avoid state anti-gambling laws is completely friggin' retarded. You'd actually do better running an illegal room on the US side of the border.

[/ QUOTE ]

Motion carried.

I started to post this earlier.

Washington Post 1/21/05
Mexico Battles Influx of Violent Gangs

"Police have no solid count of youth gang members in Mexico, but they agree the numbers are rising. Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos, the nation's top organized crime prosecutor, said recently that drug cartels based in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez on the U.S. border were hiring gang members as assassins."

A city of 2 million is big, and not everyone is a criminal, but this sure smells like some Wild, Wild West sh!t.

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

thanks Armchair, and others who have responded so far. I think the most enlightening part is the perception of mexico and the fact that people might not feel safe comming over, because they will be shot by gang members, or robbed by the police. *sigh*

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

Bus is a bad idea just from passport problem standpoint alone. What happens when someone on your bus has a problem getting through customs (legitimate or otherwise)? Does the bus wait or leave the person stranded?

-Yarney

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

I'm not sure why you think a bus is a badd idea. It would solve many of the concerns listed above. If the club itself is secure, and you take a bus door to door back to the US side, I would think most people would feel safe.

I don't think anything about a bus would be illegal. You can go to where something is legal and do it and then return. If I take a plane to Vegas and gamble I'm not breaking the law back home.

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

[ QUOTE ]
thanks Armchair, and others who have responded so far. I think the most enlightening part is the perception of mexico and the fact that people might not feel safe comming over, because they will be shot by gang members, or robbed by the police. *sigh*


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This will definitly be your biggest problem. It dosn't have to happen very often for everyone to hear about it. NPR carried a story detailing the horrors of auto wrecks in Mexico awhile ago. Needless to say we very rarely hear how children play in the street in Mexico... well unless one got abducted.

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

[ QUOTE ]
thanks Armchair, and others who have responded so far. I think the most enlightening part is the perception of mexico and the fact that people might not feel safe comming over, because they will be shot by gang members, or robbed by the police. *sigh*

[/ QUOTE ]

What about buying/selling the poker chips on the US side of the border? Just have a building with a cashier's cage in it where you would board the bus. That way, the people who are uncomfortable carrying cash across the border wouldn't have to.

I also think people are way too afraid of Mexico. I like the idea.

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

I wouldn't go to Mexico unless I was part of a heavily-armed invasion force.

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

you would have to make kickbacks to officials... mexico is corrupt as can be, everyone is out to get you there, but one day, TJ will be the greatest city ever!

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

If it is going to be legal, why not start in the Mayan Riviera? Why open a card room in a border town where 80% of the population would kill you for bus fare?

If you do open a room in the nice tourist area, the local politicos and cops will give you the same treatment you would get where you are. Pay up or leave.

The big gaming corporations have a chance to make some money operating hand-in-hand with the politicians on the big casinos that will probably arrive soon. The local card room operators will probably be shot to pieces.

If you're looking for investors, I would start with Hells Angels.

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

I like this idea, but maybe not chips. It could be done with a membership card or something, A casino debit card. You can load it up with as much money as you want on the american side, and use it to buy chips at the poker room.

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

Ok, off the top of my head.

1. You need a good professional casino manager, to think of the million things we're missing.

2. you need good professional floor managers.

3. Even if Poker is legal, you need an army of lawyers to comply with the regulations that will probably govern this.

4. What are the capital requirements?

5. Are you going to offer credit? You'll need a credit manager then.

6. I hate to ask this question, but are there Political issues here (will you need to be connected to get a license).

There's probably a million things we're not thinking of, but most of all, I think you need a great deal of capital to make this fly.

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

I wouldn't even think of trying to open a Mexican card room. The bribes alone would bankrupt you...

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico (AP) — Alejandro Dominguez was the only person brave enough to apply for the job as police chief of this lawless border city on the border with Texas.
He took office Wednesday afternoon, declaring he wasn’t afraid of anything. Shortly after nightfall, he was dead, gunned down by assailants in this embattled city that is the front line in a bloody turf battle between Mexico’s two main drug gangs.
Early Thursday, most city officials nervously directed all questions to Mayor Daniel Pena, who was holding private meetings and hadn’t made a public appearance. Some said they didn’t want their names appearing in the media.
Councilman Joaquim Trevino called on Fox to do more, two months after the federal government sent in 700 soldiers and federal agents.
“The reality is that there isn’t anyone who wants this job,” he said.
Only a few people ventured out into the streets, and a handful of federal authorities were seen on routine patrols.

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not sure why you think a bus is a badd idea. It would solve many of the concerns listed above. If the club itself is secure, and you take a bus door to door back to the US side, I would think most people would feel safe.

I don't think anything about a bus would be illegal. You can go to where something is legal and do it and then return. If I take a plane to Vegas and gamble I'm not breaking the law back home.

[/ QUOTE ]

Your door to door route takes a severe bender the moment this bus that's packed with Americans carrying cash crosses the border and gets targeted by the gangs or the police. I can't see how you'd make any money after you're done bribing the gangs and the cops.

Besides, if you're handling the cash on the US side, how the Hell would the locals play? I'd wager a significant fraction of them would not be allowed across the border to the cage building.

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

[ QUOTE ]
A few more concerns:

1. all of the men with guns in Cd Juarez. I think the most dangerous group is called "la policia".

Isn't this city notorious for being run by drug smuggling gangs? Haven't there been vicious gang wars with dozens of people being killed? Don't 97% of murders in Mexico go unsolved? Aren't the regional law enforcement, politicians and beaurocracy in bed with the drug smugglers?

You better have the right connections and pay off the right people. And you will need security guards who actually carry guns. Maybe off duty police would be a good idea. Of course, they would probably rob you too.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like Compton ->hey don't they have a casino there? [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

Re: Questions on opening a poker room
 

I have considered the problem with the bribes, but I do not exactly know how much this would cost perse.

As for the issue with the Cage on the american side of the border, I believe this will be easy, simply put a SEPARATE cage on the mexican side. All transactions would be in dollars, with the peso being taken at the rate of the day (many businesses in Juarez work this way).

One concern that I heard voiced, is whether it will be legal to have such a cage on the american side at all. Can anyone see how this would be a problem?

Another problem would be the language at the table. would we only allow english or spanish?