Gambling Laws In Mexico - How To Work The System

Though movies may paint a different picture, gambling laws in Mexico have not been adjusted to keep up with the times. The country's gambling laws were written prior to the 1950's and the advent of online opportunities has barely even been addressed, with some politicians avoiding the subject altogether. The current laws cover both brick and mortar establishments as well as virtual organizations.

The casino industry is thriving in most Latin American countries, but has been hampered in Mexico. In 2004, the government agency that was in control of gambling and raffling did make some small legal adjustments, allowing licenses for operations, but the meat of the legislation went largely untouched. Because of the small changes, however, there are some 400 legal establishments in the country.

Sports betting, particularly for horse and dog racing, is plentiful. Also, activities such as dice and pool are legal to place wagers for, as are cockfighting and bullfighting venues. Stores may offer lottery tickets, both the draw type and instant-scratch tickets. While slot machines are not legal throughout the country, the video games machines and other casino type gaming equipment has been approved for use. Brick and mortar organizations that have been licensed are sure to offer only opportunities that have been approved.

To date, politicians have been hesitant to embrace full service casinos, like those seen in the US. Even with this hurdle, the market is rapidly increasing, and patrons are spending over $400 million annually to support their favorite pastimes which, in turn, calls for action and new gambling laws in Mexico.

Since there are so many restrictions on virtual wagers, this part of the industry is not growing as rapidly. Mexican citizens may be hesitant to break the law so web based establishments that are offered there may spend their time and money targeting foreigners who are vacationing in the country.

Mexican citizens who wish to participate in such betting but are afraid of the consequences can turn to foreign websites, at least until their government finds a way of blocking access. Wanting the business, these foreign establishments offer their games in Spanish so no translation would be required, and they allow for transferring of money in both directions, using the peso as its currency.