Secretaría de Gobernación, Dirección General de Juegos y Sorteos

What this authority does

Mexico has no modern online gambling statute. Activity is authorised under the Federal Law on Games and Draws of 1947 and its 2004 regulations, with online operation permitted as an annex to a permit originally designed for land-based venues and draws. In practice an international operator enters the market by partnering with a Mexican permit holder rather than by applying for a licence of its own.

That structure makes Mexico one of the largest Latin American markets and also one of the least transparent, because the terms attached to individual permits are not uniform and the permit list changes through administrative decisions rather than through published licensing rounds.

Reform proposals to replace the 1947 law have been raised repeatedly without being carried through, so the planning assumption for Mexico remains partnership with an existing permit holder.

Licences it issues

• Permit for games and draws, with online activity authorised as an annex

What supervision concentrates on

• Issue of permits
• Authorisation of online operation under existing permits
• Supervision of venues

Markets on file under this authority