Mexico Prepares Gaming and Sweepstakes Law Overhaul

Mexico is preparing a major overhaul of its gambling laws as the government increases scrutiny of money laundering and tax fraud in casinos. Mexico is once again attempting to reform its decades-old gaming laws. (Photo: Getty Images) Interior Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez said the country’s Ministry of the Interior (Segob) had already proposed a new law. The draft was set to go before Mexico’s Security Cabinet. The country’s existing Federal Gaming and Sweepstakes Law dates back to 1947. Rodríguez said gambling operators had called for the legislation to be updated. Despite the dated laws, the market continues to grow. In July, Codere Online cited Mexico as a key growth driver, after the operator posted record quarterly results. The proposal still has several hurdles to clear, and Mexico has notoriously struggled to update its decades-old gambling laws. Rodríguez indicated that Security Cabinet approval would come before the government advances the legislation toward Congress. “By instruction of the President, we are in the review,” Rodríguez said during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s press conference last week (September 3). Segob previously announced plans to reform the gambling framework in September 2025. Rodríguez’s latest comments indicate the process has now reached its final internal stages. “We’ll see if the law gets through the Security Cabinet, they approve it, and then we move forward,” she said. Around 20 Casinos Face Action The push to update Mexico’s gambling laws came alongside enforcement action involving casinos suspected of financial wrongdoing. Rodríguez said sanctions, closures, and other measures had affected around 20 properties, including 13 casinos. The cases involved suspected money laundering and tax fraud, with Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office and the Finance Ministry’s Financial Intelligence Unit investigating. Rodríguez was keen to stress that casinos that pay their taxes, properly register employees, and respect workers’ rights should have no problems with the investigations. She also warned that businesses involved in bribery could be closed, while government employees caught accepting payments could face prison. “Please, do not corrupt the personnel of the Interior Ministry,” Rodríguez told operators. Rodríguez said Segob has also taken steps to reduce the possibility of corruption during casino inspections. Operators have been told to record government inspectors on their phones when they visit a property. Inspectors received the same instruction when dealing with casino personnel. “Both sides will have the evidence,” Rodríguez said, explaining that recordings could help resolve subsequent disputes about an inspection. The post Mexico Prepares Gaming and Sweepstakes Law Overhaul appeared first on Casino.org.