Betting in Monterrey

Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental in northeastern Mexico, Monterrey is the capital city of the state of Nuevo León. It anchors the third-largest metropolitan area in the country, with a metro population of just over four million residents, and boasts of the highest per capita income in the nation, bolstered by major industrial operations focused on steel, cement, glass, auto parts and brewing.

Although Monterrey has been called the most “Americanised” of all Mexican cities, its heritage is certainly Spanish, with a history dating back to 1596. That’s when it was founded by Diego de Montemayor, the conquistador who served as the second governor of Nuevo León. After the Mexican War of Independence, Monterrey assumed importance as a business and manufacturing center. Today the local economy is fed by dozens of multinational corporations, from Heineken to Sony, Boeing, Nokia and Dell, among others.

Architecturally, Monterrey is an amalgamation of old and new. The old neighborhood, Barrio Antiguo, features numerous bars, cafes, art galleries, restaurants and outdoor festivals, while the one of the world’s largest plazas, Macroplaza, serves as the cultural and administrative heart of the city, characterised by remarkable monuments, green areas and buildings. Connecting the Macroplaza to Fundidora Park is the Santa Lucía riverwalk, which follows the path of a canal built between 1996 and 2007.

When it comes to gambling venues, three large entertainment companies dominate the local scene. One of them is the Caliente Group of sportsbooks, locally owned and operated by Hipódromo de Agua Caliente, S.A. de C.V. Although their main focus is bookmaking, gaming machines are made available to guests at their locations and a loyalty programme called “Club Caliente” is available for frequent players.

Among the Caliente Casino properties in Monterrey are the Monterrey Centro on Corregidora in Zona Centro, the Monterrey Gonzalitos on Avenida Gonzalitos, Monterrey Guadalupe on Avenida Miguel Alemán, and Monterrey Jacales on Avenida Eugenio Garza Sada. A fifth location can be found in Zona Loma Larga Oriente. It’s on Avenida Lázaro Cárdenas and called the Caliente Casino – Monterrey Valle Oriente.

Two other gambling facilities in Monterrey are operated under the PlayCity Casino brand, which is owned by the PlayCity division of Apuestas Internacionales S.A. de C.v. Currently, PlayCity are the biggest operator of gaming facilities in all of Mexico, while offering only bingo, sports betting and machine gaming. The media has called their facilities “casino lite.”

PlayCity Casino – Lindavista is located on Miguel Alemán, while the PlayCity Casino – Plaza Real is on Jose Eleuterio Gonzalez. Both offer points for play at a rate of one point per 20 pesos staked as part of the PlayCity Rewards Club for loyal patrons. Their progressive jackpots are also tied into the nationwide PlayCity network, offering just over $1.1 million as a top prize.

Two of the largest and most popular gaming venues in Monterrey are controlled by the Hollywood Entertainment Group. One of those, the Hollywood Entertainment Casino – La Estanzuela, is off Route 85 to the southeast of the city centre, offering 350 gaming machines, three restaurants and a bar open 24 hours a day. The other one, Hollywood Entertainment Casino – Constitución, is on Degollado in the San Pedro Garza Garcia section to the southwest.

It should be noted that a few of these casinos have Bingo and all offer “Electrónico,” as slot machines are referred to throughout Mexico. The machines do not accept coins or cash. Instead, the player must pre-pay a cashier for credits to be added to the machine. All winnings are hand paid.

Published on: 22/04/2013

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