Mexico Gaming License: SEGOB Permits and the 2026 Reality
Mexico is a big market with no door. The law is a 1947 prohibition statute, permits come from the Interior Ministry, none have been issued for years, and the 2023 reform abolished the operator figure that used to be the practical way in.
This guide documents what is actually on the record: the permit system, the decree frozen in the courts, the tax that jumped to 50 percent, and why no published fee for a new online permit exists.
Every figure on this page comes from the regulator's own documents. Last verified July 13, 2026.
Our verdict, in brief
Mexico is the opposite of Brazil dressed in the same regulated-market language. The law dates to 1947, the modern industry exists through a 2004 regulation, and the door is effectively closed: no new permits in years, the operator model abolished in 2023, and no published fee or process for a new online permit at all. What remains is a patchwork held up by court injunctions, permits from the 2004 to 2012 era running dozens of venues and the online channel as an annex, while the 2023 slot ban sits unresolved in the amparo system. Meanwhile the tax side moved hard: IEPS jumped from 30 to 50 percent in January 2026 and now reaches offshore operators explicitly, with tax-driven site blocking behind it. Enter through deals with existing permit holders while their paper lasts, or wait for the new law that keeps being announced and keeps not arriving.
What the license costs
There is no price list for entering, because entry is not on offer. What the official record prices is the ongoing take from existing permit holders and the taxes around them.
| Fee | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| New online or casino permitThe absence is the finding: no fee, no window, no published process for new gaming permits | Not published | No line item exists in the official 2026 schedule |
| SEGOB participation, remote sports bettingOfficial term: participación, owed on every permit under the 1947 law | 1% of wagers | Ongoing, monthly reporting |
| SEGOB participation, live venues and number drawsRacetracks and frontons 2% of wagers, number draws 2% of cards sold | 2% | Ongoing |
| SEGOB participation, fair games | 4% of bets minus prizes | Ongoing |
| Federal IEPS on gamingNow explicitly covers residents abroad serving Mexican users, with SAT-ordered blocking for non-payers | 50% | Since January 1, 2026, was 30% through 2025 |
| State gaming taxesNo single federal schedule, each state levies its own | Varies by state | On top of federal |
| Player prize withholding1% federal, 21% in states whose local prize tax exceeds 6%, per LISR art. 138 | 1% / 21% | Per prize |
Source: DGJS Tarifas 2026 (official aprovechamientos schedule) and the IEPS reform, DOF November 7, 2025
Requirements
What the law demands of permit holders
A Mexican sociedad mercantil with tax registration, shareholder disclosure with sworn clean-record declarations since the 2023 reform, a bond sized to 60 days of average prize operations, quarterly financials, audited annuals, monthly income reports with the federal participation paid, and gambling flagged as a vulnerable activity under the AML law.
The online channel is an annex, not a license
Article 85 of the regulation lets permitted establishments capture bets by internet, telephone, or electronic means with a SEGOB-approved internal control system. That single article is the entire online rulebook: no technical standards, no RNG certification regime, no player-fund segregation rules.
The 2023 decree, precisely
Amparo limboThe November 2023 reform banned slot machines in any modality, cut permits to 15 non-renewable years with a 2038 sunset for legacy paper, and repealed the operator figure. Federal judges then suspended its effects for many incumbents while constitutionality is litigated, and no Supreme Court merits ruling exists.
Anyone telling you flatly that slots are banned in Mexico, or that the decree was struck down, is wrong in both directions. The true state is a court-made patchwork.
The reform that keeps being announced
SEGOB told Congress in September 2025 that a new gaming law covering online platforms is being drafted, and the president confirmed the intent that fall. As of July 2026 nothing has been enacted. The 1947 law and the 2004 regulation with its 2023 amendments remain the entire framework.
How the application runs
There is no application process for a new online permit to describe. What exists in practice runs through the permits already out there.
- 1
Deals with existing permit holders
The market runs on permits issued between 2004 and 2012, each covering established venues and the online channel. Since the operator figure was repealed, new third-party operating deals are legally impossible, so commercial routes narrow to arrangements with the permit holders themselves.
- 2
Grandfathered operators ride out their term
Operator authorizations that existed with functioning establishments in November 2023 survive until the underlying permit expires, with no extensions.
- 3
Everyone else waits for the new law
The announced reform would be the first framework to regulate online platforms directly. Until it exists, offshore operation into Mexico is a tax and blocking question, not a licensing one.
The regime, dated
Eighty years of framework in six lines:
The prohibition law
Games of chance and betting prohibited nationwide, with the Interior Ministry as the only door. Nine substantive articles that still govern.
The regulation creates the industry
Remote betting centers and number draw rooms become permittable, and article 85 quietly opens the online channel as an annex to land-based permits.
The door is confirmed shut
The presidency states no casino permits have been granted in four years. No new-permit publication has contradicted it since.
The decree
Slots banned in any modality, permits cut to 15 non-renewable years, the operator figure repealed. Amparo suspensions freeze it for many incumbents within weeks.
IEPS 50%
The federal gaming tax jumps from 30 to 50 percent and explicitly reaches offshore online operators, with SAT-ordered blocking of non-paying digital services.
Reform announced, again
SEGOB and the presidency confirm a new gaming law is being drafted with online platforms in scope. Nothing enacted as of July 2026.
Registers and official documents
The register exists as a query system rather than a list, and no official aggregate count of permit holders is published. These are the entry points.
Frequently asked
What operators ask before picking this jurisdiction, answered from the official record.
Can I get a Mexican online gaming license in 2026?+
Practically, no. New permits have not been issued for years, no fee or application window for one is published anywhere, and the 2023 reform abolished the operator route that used to substitute for a permit of your own. The realistic options are commercial arrangements with existing permit holders while their paper lasts, or waiting for the announced new law.
What was the operador model and why does everyone still mention it?+
Until November 2023 the regulation let a third-party company run gambling on an existing holder's permit with SEGOB authorization, which is what agencies actually sold as getting licensed in Mexico. The 2023 decree repealed the figure outright. Operators already functioning were grandfathered until their host permits expire, with no extensions, so the model exists only as expiring legacy paper.
Are slot machines banned in Mexico or not?+
Both answers are wrong alone. The November 2023 decree bans slot machines in any modality, but federal courts suspended its application for many operators while constitutionality is litigated, and the Supreme Court has not ruled on the merits. Floors run where injunctions hold and the ban applies where they do not. It is a patchwork, and it has stayed one for over two years.
What taxes apply to gaming in Mexico?+
The federal IEPS on gaming jumped from 30 to 50 percent on January 1, 2026, and now explicitly covers offshore online operators serving Mexican users, with tax-driven site blocking for non-payers. States levy their own gaming taxes on top, permit holders owe SEGOB a participation of 1 to 4 percent of wagers by vertical, and prizes carry a 1 or 21 percent withholding. Every guide still quoting 30 percent is a year out of date.
Does my offshore license help in Mexico?+
It gives no operating rights, and since 2026 it does not even keep you out of the tax net: the IEPS reform reaches residents abroad serving users in Mexico, directly or through platforms, and non-payment triggers blocking of the digital service. Mexico has no licensing route for foreign online operators, only a tax obligation and an enforcement mechanism.
When does Mexico get a real online gaming law?+
Unknown. SEGOB told Congress in September 2025 that a draft updating the 1947 law is in the works, covering online platforms, money laundering, and consumer protection, and the president confirmed the intent. As of July 2026 no initiative has been enacted, and the announcement has been made in various forms for years.
Where to go from here
Mexico rewards patience and local deals. The comparable doors that are actually open: