Segob denies casino permits to Hernán Bermúdez-linked companies
The Ministry of Interior (Segob) of Mexico has issued an official statement to reject accusations regarding the discretionary granting of 20 operating licenses to the firm Operadora Clíe. This company has been implicated due to alleged ties with the family of Hernán Bermúdez Requena, who served as Secretary of Public Security in Tabasco and is currently facing charges for connections with criminal organizations. The institutional response comes after a journalistic investigation suggested a direct relationship between the authorizations and the former official's circle.
The institution, headed by Rosa Icela Rodríguez, clarified that the granting of these 20 permits in 2024 was not its own initiative, but rather the fulfillment of a judicial mandate issued by the Metropolitan Regional Chamber of Administrative Justice. According to Segob, the agency merely complied with the order of said court, and they emphasized that, to date, no establishment has begun operations under the protection of these authorizations granted to Clíe. With this declaration, the Government seeks to dismiss the existence of active commercial activity derived from said licenses.
Clarifications on suspended casinos and the origin of their permits
Within the framework of this controversy, Segob provided details about other betting centers mentioned in press reports. Regarding the establishments known as Casino Centenario and Diamante Casino, the authority specified that they belong to the Chow del Campo family and not to Operadora Clíe, as the disseminated information suggested. It was reported that these venues operated under a permit originally granted in 2017 to the company Operadora de Coincidencias Numéricas, and that their activities were formally suspended on April 14, 2026.
Similarly, the situation of the online sports betting site CrownCityBets, which was disabled in 2025, was clarified. According to the Ministry, this platform also used the registration assigned in 2017 to Operadora de Coincidencias Numéricas through a southeastern investment controller, reaffirming that it did not use the recent permits linked to the Clíe company.
Background and suspicions surrounding Bermúdez Requena's circle
The history of Hernán Bermúdez Requena, nicknamed "El Abuelo" (The Grandfather), has been under constant surveillance for his alleged leadership of "La Barredora," a criminal organization supposedly made up of former police elements. Bermúdez is associated with serious crimes such as criminal association, extortion, kidnapping, and illicit trafficking in various municipalities of Tabasco. Due to this profile, in July 2025, Segob had already taken preventive measures by suspending permits of firms linked to his family due to suspicions of tax simulation and concealment of illicit resources.
The investigation has also focused on the previous administration of Senator Adán Augusto López during his tenure at Segob, a period in which a company linked to Bermúdez's brother allegedly obtained permit renewals in an apparently irregular manner. By making it transparent that the current granting of licenses to Clíe responds exclusively to a judicial ruling, the federal government attempts to separate its administrative management from the corruption allegations surrounding these business structures in the gambling sector.
Tags: Mexico, online casinos Mexico, casino licenses Mexico, Operadora Clíe Mexico, Hernán Bermúdez Requena