Mexico suspends ten online casino sites with valid permits
The General Directorate of Games and Lotteries of Mexico's Ministry of Interior (Secretaría de Gobernación) suspended ten online casino domains that operated under permits from various authorized companies in the country, including platforms linked to Ganador Azteca, a subsidiary of Grupo Salinas.
The measure is part of the update to the official registry of operators. According to Segob data, out of the 136 authorized betting sites in Mexico, only about two-thirds remain active. The rest ceased operations due to technical, administrative, or commercial reasons, while some were suspended by the regulatory authority as part of investigations into alleged irregularities, including possible cases of money laundering and terrorist financing.
Among the domains taken down are bet365.mx and betano.mx, linked to Ganador Azteca; 1xbet.mx, operated by Internapuesta México; luckia.mx, from Comercial de Juegos de la Frontera; netabet.com.mx and netabet.mx, from Operadora de Coincidencias Numéricas; casinomiravallepalace.com, from Administradora Mexicana de Hipódromo; kingsbet.com.mx, from Televisa Gaming; and kasino.mx and diamantecasino.com.mx, from Atracciones y Emociones Vallarta.
The suspension of bet365.mx and betano.mx is related to an investigation announced by the Financial Intelligence Unit in November of last year, when the agency reported that it had detected high-risk operations in thirteen casinos, involving cash movements, international flows, and the use of unsupervised digital platforms. As part of these investigations, accounts of various companies were blocked to prevent possible use by organized crime.
The delisting of the sites coincides with an increase in anti-money laundering controls on the industry. Between January and May 2026, the Mexican financial sector submitted 202,045 reports related to gambling, contests, and lottery activities to the UIF, for operations totaling at least 15.287 billion pesos in the first five months of the year. This figure represents a floor, as legislation only requires reporting transactions exceeding 645 Units of Measurement and Actualization (UMAs), equivalent this year to 75,664.95 pesos, or about 4,300 dollars.
In Mexico, individuals and companies that carry out activities considered vulnerable to money laundering, including operators of gambling, contests, and lotteries, are obliged to notify tax authorities when an operation exceeds this threshold. These notices are a mechanism for financial prevention and monitoring, and their submission does not in itself imply the existence of a crime, but rather allows authorities to review high-value operations. According to money laundering prevention specialists, operators must report these transactions to the Tax Administration Service and comply with due diligence controls, and non-compliance can result in administrative sanctions.
Tags: SEGOB, General Directorate of Games and Draws, Grupo Salinas, Financial Intelligence Unit, online casinos in Mexico