The World Cup quintupled online betting in Mexico
The 2026 World Cup left a profound mark on Mexico's digital betting platforms. According to the financial technology firm STP, the volume of transactions it processed for the sector soared by 431.75 percent compared to the 2022 World Cup, more than five times, a jump that places the tournament among the events with the greatest transactional impact for the industry in the country. This figure only corresponds to operations that passed through the company's infrastructure, so it does not represent the total Mexican market.
The profile of those driving this growth has a defined age. Individuals between 25 and 40 years old accounted for 49.4 percent of the gaming and betting market through digital channels, almost half, while those under 25 appear as the most dynamic segment, with a projected annual expansion of 16.7 percent by 2031. The activity also drew a map: the center of the country gathers 41.3 percent of the market, although the central-northern region is growing at a particularly fast pace.
Behind this phenomenon is an already consolidated foundation. The phone has become the dominant gateway, and data from Mordor Intelligence cited by STP indicates that smartphones and tablets accounted for 63.9 percent of the activity in the Mexican gaming and betting market in 2025. The same consultancy estimated that the online gaming business in Mexico reached 790 million dollars in 2025, with a projection of 970 million for 2026 and 1.090 million for 2031, while sports betting contributed 56.41 percent of the sector's revenue last year.
On this ground, the World Cup found a financial infrastructure ready to absorb peaks of operations concentrated in just a few hours, especially during matches. According to STP, the connection with the Interbank Electronic Payment System allowed platforms to manage the deluge of deposits, transfers, and withdrawals throughout the tournament. The magnitude of the jump is also explained by Mexicans' prior familiarity with the activity: an Ipsos survey cited by the firm found that 40 percent of respondents were very or somewhat familiar with betting, and within that group, 34 percent planned to participate in gambling during the Cup.
Tags: Online betting in Mexico, FIFA World Cup 2026, STP, Gambling market in Mexico