Authorities in the State of Mexico seized 3,374 slot machines in a July operation spanning 84 municipalities. The crackdown, named Dos de Bastos, was carried out by the state attorney general's office with support from the army and National Guard as part of a national anti-extortion strategy. Officials said the devices generated income for criminal groups and posed risks to minors. Coins weighing 9.697 tonnes and worth around MXN 9 million were removed from the machines.
Operators disputed the action. On 19 August, members of the National Union of Machine Operators (UNAMA) protested outside the prosecutor's office in Toluca, demanding the return of equipment and details of the cases. UNAMA president Araceli Gutiérrez Caballero rejected any link to crime: 'We are the owners, we pay the people who work there. Let them prove it, not just say it.' Operators said they were ready to produce invoices and tax records for their machines, arguing authorities should distinguish legal business from criminals.
The seized maquinitas are small-scale machines in shops and bars, unrelated to licensed casinos. A 2023 reform effectively banned slots and closed the issuance of new casino-machine permits, though some halls continue under old licences or court protection. Deputy Pedro Miguel Haces Barba introduced a bill on 15 April proposing two to four years' imprisonment and confiscation for illegal machines. The draft is under review in the Chamber of Deputies.
