Find the Best Bookmakers in Mexico 2023 🇲🇽

Everything you need to know about betting in Mexico

Licensing Status: The choice of a betting site should be limited to only the sites registered and regulated by the relevant authorities. The licensing information is usually found at the bottom of the home page on most betting sites.

Eligibility: Punters should also consider whether they are eligible to bet on the site. That mostly applies to international sports betting sites that might have jurisdictional limitations. Different betting sites also have varying age restrictions, with 18, 21, and 24 being the common limits.

Betting Markets: Bettors can also consider the betting markets offered. They need to ensure the markets they are interested in are provided, especially when looking to bet on a sport that is not very popular.

Mexico players' favorite sports to bet on

Football

The most popular sport in Mexico is football, typically referred to as just football. The sport's popularity is in the number of people who play the game and the number of fans who watch it and follow leagues. Mexico has also hosted two World Cup tournaments, the biggest football tournament globally. That can be used to indicate that the country has numerous football facilities, most of which are of world standards.

The popularity of football in Mexico has spread to the betting world. A majority of punters who bet on sports prefer betting on football. That mostly is because they understand the game better and can do better analysis to make more informed betting choices. Football also offers numerous betting markets and bet types.

Baseball

Baseball is the second most popular sport in Mexico and is considered the most popular in some regions, such as Sinaloa and Sonora. The game's popularity in most places came directly from the United States, where baseball is an extremely popular sport.

The most popular baseball league in the country is the Mexican Baseball League, in which many baseball legends have played. The league is also the most wagered on baseball league in Mexico. Nearly all major online betting sites that target Mexican punters include the league's events in their betting markets.

Basketball

Basketball is ranked the third most popular sport in Mexico. There are several professional basketball leagues, with the top one being Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Professional. Top teams in that league usually advance to FIBA Americas League.

Like baseball, most of the popularity of basketball in Mexico is from direct influence from the popularity of basketball in the neighboring country, the US, which hosts the highest level and most popular basketball league worldwide, the NBA. Betting on basketball matches is also popular, especially since some matches are usually easier to predict than in other sports.

Payment methods in Mexico

Visa and MasterCard

Visa and MasterCard are the two most used payment options by sports bettors in Mexico. The main reason is that credit and debit cards are already popular and usually easily accessible to many punters. Depositing to betting sites is also typically easy and takes a short time.

The cards are linked to the users' bank accounts, meaning that users do not need to worry much about loading money to the cards. The only downside to credit and debit cards is that the card information should be protected to prevent fraud, which can be difficult when making payments to untrustworthy sites.

E-Wallets

E-wallets are another popular option in Mexico. They are quite convenient and relatively safer than many other methods. Deposits are instant, with some e-wallets supporting withdrawals as well. Among the most popular e-wallets in Mexico are PayPal, Payoneer, Skrill, and ecoPayz.

Bank Transfer

Most punters also prefer using direct bank transfers. That is especially the case with high rollers looking to make large transfers. That is because direct bank transfers usually offer the largest deposit and withdrawal limits. Direct bank transfer is also relatively safer than many other options. The main downside to the option is that it usually takes much longer than other methods for transactions to be processed.

Mobile Transfer

Mobile money transfers have also grown in popularity over the last decade. They offer punters the convenience of transacting using their mobile devices faster and at low costs. The two most popular mobile money services in Mexico are Mobiamo and Mobile Money.

History of betting in Mexico

Historical accounts indicate that gambling in Mexico started before the Aztec civilization. However, the more structured and modern form of gambling started during the early 19th century when French-style casinos appeared in the country. The casinos operated in Mexico for about two decades. In 1935, a reformist government rose under President Lazaro Cardenas and closed down all the casinos and all types of betting.

A federal law was passed in 1947, which banned most gambling forms with exceptions for sports wagering, pool, dice, and dominoes. However, illegal forms of gambling continued to thrive in the country due. That helped to bring about the discussion of changing the laws from prohibition to regulation. Many politicians tried to make gambling legal in the country but were unsuccessful for a long time.

In 1989, there was a small breakthrough when the government granted a company based in Tijuana permission to provide sports betting services. That helped grow the popularity of sports betting in the country, though many punters still had difficulties accessing the sports betting services.

Another serious attempt to fully open wagering activities in Mexico was made in 2001 under President Vicente Fox, but it did not bear much fruit. In 2004, the government department responsible for overseeing gambling activities approved the operation of various number-based games. The department also began issuing licenses under the 'Regulation to the Federal Gaming and Raffle Law.'

The first 'racinos' were permitted in 2005 to offer casino-style slots games and pari-mutuel betting. That led to all types of gambling flooding the market even though most were still not officially authorized.

Sports betting grew quite significantly in the early 2000s. The popularization of online sports betting fueled that. Online betting made it possible for more people to access sports betting services. The improving technology made smart devices such as smartphones cheaper such that more people could afford them. Mobile sports betting thus also helped to increase the popularity of sports betting.

Betting nowadays in Mexico

Betting continues to be a popular activity in Mexico, especially among middle-aged citizens. The legal environment is also relatively supportive of gambling. However, sports betting continues to face considerable criticism from the religious community, predominantly catholic.

The government is also concerned about the addictive nature of sports betting as it is already affecting many punters. For now, such concerns seem outweighed by the huge income the gambling industry brings as revenue to the country.

A good percentage of the income generated is from the online platform. Mobile sports betting has contributed quite a lot to that. Nowadays, punters also seem to be shifting more towards live betting. That is because live betting allows them to place wagers on games and events they can analyze in real-time.

The future of betting in Mexico

The gambling laws in Mexico are relatively new. That means there is still much room for sports betting growing further. Affordable smartphone technology is also improving, likely leading to an increased number of bettors as more people will get reliable and cheap access to the betting site.

The increasing competition among sports betting providers will also result in more betting features being introduced, which will help make betting even more lucrative to more people.

Is betting legal in Mexico?

Sports betting is legal in Mexico, provided that all the rules and regulations are followed. The sports betting providers must obtain the relevant authorizations from the appropriate government bodies to offer their services within Mexico or to Mexicans.

The Federal Gaming and Raffles Law and the Federal Gaming and Raffles Law's regulations govern all gambling matters in Mexico. These laws are all regarded as federal matters, meaning they apply throughout the country.

Article one of the law states that gambling in Mexico is prohibited, except for raffles and games authorized by the Bureau. The Bureau is the only authority empowered to grant raffle and gambling permits.

The legality of online gaming

The Gaming Act has relatively limited provisions, especially for online sports betting sites and online casino gaming. For example, there are no complete descriptions of the requirements related to online sports betting. As a result, the Bureau makes most of the decisions and regulations on such matters.

Despite the gaming laws in Mexico being Federal, the local authorities still influence sports betting and casino gaming. That is through property law, which is a part of the local jurisdiction. For example, some local governments, such as Guanajuato, Coahuila, and Baja California Sur, set local zone retractions to control the opening of new brick-and-mortar casinos.

Applying for a sports betting license

The laws and regulations allow Mexican companies or individuals to apply for a gambling business permit. Four types of gambling licenses can be issued in the country. The first type is a license for operating remote betting centers, land-based casinos, and other specified gambling operations, which can be granted only to Mexican commercial companies.

The second type of license is for opening and operating land-based casinos and sportsbooks facilities that cover national affairs. The third license type is given for opening and operating cockfighting and horse racetracks. The last type of license issued is for drawings. Land-based casino and sportsbooks operators also need specific approval from their local municipality, which they can only get after stating their consent with the establishment's installation and operation.

There is no standard document issued by the local authorities or standard procedure for obtaining the authorization.

Process of license application

The application process starts with any qualified entity filling the applications papers and all associated information and documents at the central offices of the Bureau. All the presented documentation must be original, valid, and written in Spanish. All public documents of applicants from other jurisdictions written in a different language must be officially translated before being presented.

The documents and information required for license application are National ID, financial and property statements, curriculum vitae, an affidavit affirming that there has been no history of bankruptcy of criminal record, professional links, credit report, copy of the incorporation deed, and income statements and balance sheets.

When the application procedure is followed correctly, and all the correct and relevant information and documents are presented, the Bureau usually takes less than ten days to process drawings license and about 12 weeks for sportsbooks and casinos licenses.

FAQs

Is betting on sports legal in Mexico?

Sports betting is legal in Mexico for any punter above 18 years. Punters only need to ensure they place their wagers through registered and licensed betting providers, whether they are locally based or international.

Are bettors’ winnings taxed?

The sports betting service providers usually retain a specified percentage of all winnings as tax to remit to the Mexican government. The sports betting revenue collected by the government annually averages about 300 million USD.

Can foreigners legally bet on sports in Mexico?

Tourists can also bet on sports in Mexico in both local and international sportsbooks. There are no special permissions needed for that.

Are there sports on which punters are not allowed to bet?

The gambling laws in Mexico do not specify any sport off-limits to bettors. Bettors can place wagers on virtually any sport offered by sportsbooks.

What are the accepted currencies in Mexico?

Punters in Mexico can use either MXN or USD to place sports wagers, both of which are widely accepted.

Is sport betting exchange legal in Mexico?

Sports betting exchange refers to bettors betting on a sport against each other instead of through a sportsbook. There are no specific laws against that, meaning it is not particularly legal. However, it does eliminate taxation from the gambling activity. Many experts predict that the next amendments in the gambling laws will make it illegal or highly regulated.

Most Popular Bookies in Mexico