Simon’s Guide to Gambling in Mexico
Mexico Gambling Guide
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States is a federal republic located in North America. The country shares borders with the United States to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the south and west; Guatemala, Belize and the Caribbean Sea to the southeast, and the Gulf of Mexico to the east. Mexico is the 5th largest country in the Americas and the 15th largest independent country in the world with an estimated population of 120 million.
Gambling is legal in Mexico, since 1947*, with strict restrictions. Mexico’s gambling industry is aimed at tourist, and the government imposes several restrictions to protect locals (however, locals are not actually banned from visiting these casinos, except under 21, and under the influence of alcohol).
As of 2015, there are 297 gambling venues in Mexico. Most of these are located in luxury resorts targeting affluent tourists. The government aims to increase the number but it is a very slow process. There have also been talks of revising the very outdated gambling laws, but so far it did not materialize.
Mexico is actually one of the few countries, where betting on blood sports is still legal (betting on cockfighting is legal in Mexico).
Online gambling is also legal in Mexico.** The Gambling and Raffles Bureau of the Mexican Ministry of the Interior is in charge of licensing gambling establishments and it has granted a few remote gambling license as well. Online sports betting companies (Ladbrokes), online poker companies (Amaya) and online lottery companies (Jumbo Interactive and Sorteo Games) are known to legally operate in the country and such websites can accept Mexican players as well as people outside of the country (however, many choose not to for a long time). In 2014 a new online gambling law was proposed in Mexico aiming to overhaul the gambling and online gambling laws.*** First it was postponed till 2015, and since then, nothing happened. Despite this, the online gambling market is booming in Mexico, but it’s far from it’s true potential. The new gambling legislation, despite the delays, is expected to roll out in the coming years, which will have a huge impact on the gambling scene of Mexico.
Players from Mexico are free to play on foreign online gambling websites, which accept their registrations as well. Mexico’s gambling laws do not regulate foreign gambling websites.You can find a list of online gambling websites, which accept players from Mexico below.
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Sources:
*Federal Games and Draws Law (Ley Federal de Juegos y Sorteos) – Spanish
**International Comparative Legal Guide 2016 – Mexico
***Senate delays Vote on Mexican Gaming Laws until 2015
Summary:
- Casino gambling in Mexico
- Bingo in Mexico
- Poker in Mexico
- Sports betting in Mexico
- Lottery in Mexico
- Bitcoin gambling in Mexico
Casino gambling in Mexico
Online casino gambling in Mexico: legal, requires licence
Land-based gambling is legal in Mexico and regulated by the country’s government since the late-40s. The Gambling and Raffles Bureau of the Ministry of the Interior regulates and overseas gambling and casinos in Mexico. The outdated gambling law of Mexico regulates casino gambling using such terms as “raffles of numbers or symbols through machines” and “opening and operating gaming fairs”. This of course leads to a lot confusion, and the meaning of such no longer used terms from the 40s is confusing. Nevertheless, 297 gambling venues are already in operation in Mexico (most of them are luxury casino & hotel resorts). Online casino gambling (remote gambling) is also legal in Mexico with a license.
There is a bill currently under development (Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act) which will update the country’s outdated casino gambling laws. It is expected in the next few years.
The following online casinos accept players from Mexico:
BGO casino – accepting players from Mexico
32 Red casino – accepting players from Mexico
Betsson online casino – accepting players from Mexico
Betsafe online casino – accepting players from Mexico
Casino Euro – accepting players from Mexico
GT Bets accepts players from Mexico- accepting Bitcoins as well
Bingo in Mexico
Online bingo in Mexico: legal, requires licence
Bingo is a form of raffle. Raffles are specifically mentioned and legalized in the 1947 Federal Games and Draws Law (see above). Online bingo is also legal in Mexico with a licence
The following bingo websites accept players from Mexico:
BGO bingo – accepting players from Mexico
Betsson Bingo – accepting registrations from Mexico
32 Red Bingo – accepting registrations from Mexico
Poker in Mexico
Online poker in Mexico: legal, requires licence
Poker and online poker are legal in Mexico. Actually Amaya Gaming, the largest online poker company is already present on the Mexican market and the retail chain Oxxo lets Poker players directly deposit cash to their online poker accounts.
The following online poker sites accept players from Mexico:
Betsson online Poker – accepting players from Mexico
Betsafe online Poker – accepting players from Mexico
32 Red online Poker – accepting players from Mexico
Sports betting in Mexico
Online sports betting in Mexico: legal, requires licence
Sports betting is legal in Mexico and online sports betting as well. Actually, Ladbrokes, the UK’s largest bookmaker company has entered the Mexican market under the brand name Sportium in 2015. Foreign online sports betting sites are also accessible to Mexican players.
The following online sportsbooks accept registrations from Mexico:
Betsson online sportsbook – accepting registrations from Mexico
Betsafe online bookmaker – accepting registrations from Mexico
32 Red sport online sportsbook – accepting players from Mexico
GT Bets online bookmaker – accepts registrations from Mexico, also accepts Bitcoin
Lottery in Mexico
Online lottery in Mexico: legal, requires licence
Mexico’s national lottery is called Lotería Nacional and it dates back to the 18th century. There are other types of lotteries in the country too, like the Melate, Revancha, and the Progol to name a few. These lotteries are available on the internet too. But unlike in most countries, the lottery is not a state monopoly and private investors can obtain a licence too.
The following websites let people from Mexico purchase lottery tickets online:
Coming soon!
Bitcoin gambling in Mexico
Bitcoin gambling in Mexico: illegal
Mexico’s gambling laws are very outdated and they were created decades before the internet and any digital currency. The Mexican gambling laws do not mention Bitcoin or digital currencies in any way.
However, in 2015, Mexico’s Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit declared its official stance on Bitcoin and made it illegal to use.* This made gambling transactions involving Bitcoin illegal within Mexico.
The following Bitcoin casinos accept players from Mexico:
It’s illegal, we do not recommend initiating Bitcoin transactions from Mexico.
*Mexico’s Payment Restrictions Now Cover Bitcoin – Coindesk
If you have questions or any feedback don’t hesitate to drop a comment below. Please let me know in the comments section if you think we might have gotten something wrong or if you have additional information, clarification about the legal status of online gambling in this country.
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This page is part of Simon’s List – Legal Status of Online Gambling – a definitive guide to the legal status of all forms of online gambling activities in every country around the world.
Last updated: 2016-07-12
What is the legality of private poker games in Mexico with a house rake? Is this possible perhaps on a yacht or a home?