Grupo Royale is a chain of casinos and entertainment venues with branches in Monterrey, Mazatlán and Los Cabos, as well as a branch in Escobedo named 'Fantastic Escobedo'. The attack was classified as the most violent and bloodiest in the history of Monterrey and one of the worst in the state of Nuevo León.
After the gunmen descended from their vehicles, they stormed the casino's main entrance, opened fire on guests, and doused the casino entrances with gasoline and started a fire that trapped people inside. Surveillance footage shows vehicles with armed gunmen arriving at the entrance of Casino Royale. Although the government crackdown of the drug cartels dates back to 2006, Monterrey became an increasingly violent city in 2010, due to the rupture of the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas. Media reports state the majority of those killed were women, including one who was pregnant. The arson attack left over a dozen injured, and over 35 trapped for several hours before the Mexican forces arrived at the place minutes after the incident. On August 25, 2011, members of drug cartel Los Zetas set a casino on fire in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, killing 52 people.
Mexico is supported by the United States in this conflict through the Mérida Initiative.
