AIEJA is calling for specific digital gambling rules in Mexico, saying more than 60% of digital betting takes place on foreign platforms without local regulation. Its proposals include age and identity checks, tools to detect unusual play, time and spending limits, and self-exclusion options.
AIEJA’s proposals identify age checks, spending limits and self-exclusion as potential controls for Mexico’s digital gambling market.
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Five Latin American gambling industry figures have debated whether recent tax increases strengthen regulated markets or push players towards illegal operators. Gaming LatAm chief executive Carlos Fonseca Sarmiento argued that excessive taxes can benefit the illegal market; the discussion also included representatives from associations in Mexico and Chile, a lawyer and an adviser.
Industry stakeholders in Mexico are urging authorities to advance proposed gambling reforms, which remain pending, according to the report. AIEJA president Miguel Ángel Ochoa Sánchez said he had expected a bill to reach the legislature during its first 2026 session, ending on 30 April, but the sector still had no final draft.
AIEJA president Miguel Ángel Ochoa Sánchez warned that Mexico’s 50% GGR tax, effective 1 January 2026, could push players towards illegal gambling platforms. He said higher taxes may also reduce government revenue, while noting that he remained optimistic about market growth around the 2026 World Cup.
Mexico's regulated casino industry generates more than 60,000 direct jobs across around 400 establishments, according to sector estimates cited by trade association AIEJA. Ricardo Barraza, the association's communication and institutional relations director, said AIEJA aims to publish verifiable data on employment, investment and tax revenue.
Mexico's regulated casino industry generates more than 60,000 direct jobs across around 400 establishments in operation nationwide, according to sector estimates cited by AIEJA, the association of permit holders, operators and suppliers in the Mexican gambling industry. The association said it intends to publish verifiable information on the employment, investment and tax revenue the sector generates.
AIEJA called for a distinction between regulated gambling businesses and clandestine operations, and supported federal action against illegal slot machines. Its statement followed Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch's report that authorities seized more than 3,000 machines in the State of Mexico during Operation Dos de Bastos. President Claudia Sheinbaum said the government was considering extending such operations to other states.