The market
Mexico is a large gambling audience running on a 1947 statute. There is no standalone online gambling licence. Foreign operators reach Mexican players legally only by partnering with, or operating under, an existing land-based permit (permiso) held by a master-permit holder such as Caliente, Codere, Strendus, Big Bola or Logrand. Caliente is the dominant online operator, with its Caliente.mx site drawing tens of millions of monthly visits, and a small group including Caliente.mx, Sportiumbet.mx and Codere.mx leads a field that could represent close to 90% of the online channel. The 16 November 2023 presidential decree ended the sub-operator model for new deals and banned new slot-machine permits, tightening an already closed structure. Existing permits from the 2004 to 2012 era continue, with the online channel run as an annex to those land-based authorisations.
The economics turned sharply in 2026. The IEPS gambling tax rose from 30% to 50% effective 1 January 2026, and now explicitly reaches foreign-resident operators serving players in Mexico even without a local establishment, with tax-driven site blocking behind it. On top of the federal IEPS sit state levies of roughly 6% to 13% and a SEGOB participation of 1% to 2%, plus ordinary corporate income tax. A comprehensive new Federal Gaming and Lottery Law has been in drafting under the current administration and is expected to reach Congress in 2026, which is the event that could reopen or reshape the market.
Regulation and licensing
SEGOB, through the Dirección General de Juegos y Sorteos, administers permits under the 1947 law and the 2004 Reglamento. There is no published fee or application window for a new standalone online permit, and none have been issued for years. The practical entry route is a commercial arrangement to operate under a permit holder’s authorisation, which means your legal standing depends on that partner’s permit and its remaining term. The 2023 decree set terms of up to 15 years for new permits where they exist, and the slot-machine ban sits unresolved in the amparo (injunction) system. Foreign operators serving Mexican players must now register with the tax authority, appoint a Mexican legal representative and a fiscal domicile, and remit the 50% IEPS.
Marketing and player rules
Consumer-protection rules require operations and advertising to be presented transparently in Mexican pesos with taxes and fees included. Player-protection infrastructure is thinner than in fully regulated markets, and the framework is mid-reform, so specific advertising, bonus and self-exclusion rules should be confirmed against the pending law rather than assumed. The tax authority has expanded access to operator data, increasing compliance exposure for licensed operators.
What this means for your plan
I would not commit to Mexico now on the current economics. A 50% federal IEPS on top of state and SEGOB levies, with no clean licensing door, is a hard place to make money legally. If the audience matters to you, hold and watch for the new gaming law reaching Congress in 2026, because that is the moment the entry route and the tax base could change. Until then, any entry means renting a partner’s permit and absorbing a tax stack above 55%, which suits a few large brands and almost nobody else.
Sources
- Gaming Compliance, SEGOB Mexico standards explorer, checked 5 September 2026
- LCB, Mexico licensed online casinos, checked 5 September 2026
- Gaming Eminence, Mexico 50% gaming tax and what it means for operators, checked 5 September 2026