Best Online Bookmakers for Mexican Players
Below, you can see our table with the best online betting websites in Mexico:
- Trusted Online Betting Website
- Licensed by the UKGC
- Best Sports Betting Features
- High Odds
- Licensed online operator
- Trusted brand
- Great selection of sports betting options
- Various betting markets
- Generous Welcome Bonuses and Promotions
- Among the Highest Odds in the industry
- Wide Variety of Sports Betting Markets
- A lot of Casino Games
- Trusted & Secure Online Betting Site
- Competitive Sports Betting Odds and Markets
- Great Range of Casino Games
- Professional Customer Support
- Great Range of Sports Betting Markets
- Wide Variety of Casino Games
- Generous Bonus Offers
- Mobile App is Available
- Extensive sports library
- High odds
- Separate apps for sports, casino, and poker
- Fully legal and licensed
- Great range of Betting Markets
- A lot of Casino Games
- Generous Welcome Bonuses and Additional Offers
- Mobile App is Available
Best Betting Sites in Mexico Ranked
Introduction
Mexico has some of the most liberal gambling laws of any country in the world. This is not by design – much of the relevant legislation about gambling and games of chance was written at the end of the Second World War! Some changes were made in 2004, but these only affected land-based casinos and betting shops. Plans are underway to regulate online gambling, but little progress has been made in over a decade.
More than three-quarters of Mexicans are unhappy with their country. When asked to list the most concerning issues, less than 5% of respondents mentioned gambling. Crime and drug trafficking are by far the largest concerns for ordinary Mexicans. These problems were described as “very concerning” by over 50% of those surveyed. The survey also highlighted corruption and unemployment as essential issues. Political instability and a lack of economic growth are also important areas of concern. Many female Mexicans believe that gender inequality is a significant problem in Mexico too.
The need for updated gambling laws and regulations must be addressed urgently. But, understandably, Mexican politicians wish to focus on other societal issues first. Despite this lack of regulation, most of the world’s largest and most trustworthy gaming companies operate in Mexico. Mexican gamblers will have no problem finding a trustworthy online casino. Most of the major online poker rooms and sportsbooks are also happy to accept bets from Mexican gamblers.
As long as you stick to playing with operators such as Bet365, and Codere, you should have no issues receiving a fair game in Mexico.
Exciting Facts About Betting in Mexico:
- Mexico is the fastest growing online gaming market in the world, currently valued at 300 million USD per annum.
- After the Mexican Revolution in 1911, all casinos were supposed to be closed. When President Cardenas took control of the country in 1935, he officially made many gambling types illegal. The Catholic Church had a large degree of influence within Mexico at this time. They convinced the government to pass further laws, leading to all forms of gambling being officially illegal in 1947. These laws turned out to be completely ineffective. In 2004 the government admitted that current gaming laws must be removed from the statute books. The government began issuing a record number of gaming licenses after this occurred.
- Because the laws concerning gambling in Mexico are so old, they do not address online gambling. As such, Mexican players are free to join dozens of Spanish-language websites. Most of Europe’s largest brands have a presence in the Mexican gambling market.
- Visit a Mexican casino, and you will find the full range of games you would expect to see in a casino. Even though many of these games are of questionable legality, casinos are happy to offer them.
- Caliente is one of the few Gambling companies to actually be based in Mexico and offer an online presence. This includes sports betting, casino games, and bingo. You can find out more about them below.
- In Mexico, Bingo can only be offered for fundraising purposes by charitable organizations. This law is once again ignored by Mexicans. Mexican companies offer online Bingo without any trouble from law enforcement.
Gambling Legislation and LawsGambling laws in Mexico before 2004 were prohibitive but were completely ignored by both the government and citizens of the country. As a result, the laws were updated in 2004, and gambling is now a permitted activity, subject to obtaining a Mexican gaming license. Whilst there are many land-based casinos in Mexico, few companies have chosen to bother with the online market. This is strange, as the 2004 amendments do not address internet gambling at all. Mexican companies could easily set up an online casino without interference from the government or Mexico’s gambling regulatory body, the NM Gaming Control Board. At present, the legal age to gamble in Mexico is set 18 – before 2004, there was no legal age, so this was a worthwhile improvement all on its own. The country has stated that this age will be increased to 21 when new legislation is finally enacted. |
Top Online Betting Websites in Mexico
Competition between Operators
Competition is fierce in Mexico, leading to some amazing offers for new players. This is despite a new 16% digital services tax that came into force in June 2020. The tax only applies to foreign companies offering services in Mexico, intending to ensure fair competition between Mexican and international companies. It isn’t quite enough to do this; however – Mexican law doesn’t currently make any distinction between online and land-based gambling companies, so Mexican online casinos have no choice but to pay a 30% tax on their profits.
Bonuses from Mexican BookmakersMexico is the fastest-growing market for online gambling. As such, you’ll find some amazing bonuses at Mexican sportsbooks and casinos. Some betting websites offer a huge no deposit bonus. While it has a high wagering requirement, it’s safe to say that there will be a decent number of players able to profit from this bonus. Other sites offer very large deposit match bonuses – even amounts up to $20,000 are eligible for a deposit match, which is easily the largest amount we have seen at any online casino. Bonuses offered by Mexican operators have far fewer restrictions than what European players will be used to. There are very few rules regarding prohibited games, contribution percentages, and the like. It’s not just new players that receive insane bonuses either – existing players are constantly bombarded with offers to ensure that they stay loyal to that particular casino. In short, Mexico is one of the best places to gamble online if you like to play with bonuses! |
Betting features and Options in the Mexican Bookmakers
As we mentioned earlier, Bet365 is a significant force in the Mexican gambling market. Because of this, advanced features are everywhere in Mexican gambling sites.
Pre-match Sports Betting Options | |
Betting on eSports | |
Live Betting | |
Cash-out | |
Live Streaming | |
Bet Builder |
Available Payment Methods
Because both Mexican and offshore companies are currently operating with no regulation or oversight, making payments to online casinos and sportsbooks is easy for Mexican gamblers. The safest methods will always be debit or credit cards, making instant deposits and fast withdrawals of 2-3 days.
Suppose you want instant all the way, including withdrawals. In that case, all e-wallets operate in Mexico, including international favourites Skrill, Entropay, Neteller, Paypal, and Mexican services such as DineroMail and toditoCash. Using an e-wallet guarantees instant deposits, and most sites will withdraw to these services instantly as well, as long as your account is fully verified.
Bank transfers are also an option, but Mexico does not yet have a fast transfer system. A bank transfer can take 5-7 days to be credited to your online account and up to 8 days for a withdrawal to be received. Most sites have smaller limits for bank transfers, making them an option of last resort for Mexican players.
Mobile Betting in Mexico
Again, with no laws to stop operators from offering mobile versions of their service, Mobile betting is both common and widespread in Mexico. All operators now use responsive design and device detection to ensure that their site looks and feels just as good on a phone or tablet as it does when using a PC or laptop.
Sign up with any of our recommended operators – Bet365, or Codere – and you can be sure of a smooth experience using their website or downloading their apps for both iPhone and Android platforms. Mexican’s have a great advantage over many other countries here. You’ll find a large number of Mexican gamblers choose to use mobile phone apps instead of the regular website.
Online Casinos
Mexicans are free to play at almost any site in the world, so if you want to play online blackjack or roulette, live dealer games, or just spin slots, you have plenty of options to choose from. You should be sure to choose a casino that has a license from a trustworthy authority – Curacao, Malta, the UK Gambling Commission, Alderney, and the Isle of Man all have well-respected gaming licensing authorities, so there is no reason to play at a site that doesn’t have a license from one of these jurisdictions. If the site also has a Mexican gaming license, all the better, but remember this on its own is practically worthless, as it does not actually cover online gambling.
Leading Sports for Betting in Mexico
- Football
Football (Soccer) is huge in Mexico, and many clubs play in their four professional football leagues. The top of the tree is the Liga MX, where sports bettors tend to place their bets. It seems that there is no country in the world (other than the US) where Soccer is not the most popular game. - Basketball
Basketball is loved by Mexicans, who have a particular liking for American sports. The NBA, MLB, MLS, NHL, and NFL are all watched closely by Mexican gamblers, who love to bet on these American games. Basketball is a particular favourite, though, with only NFL football attracting a similar betting activity. - Baseball
Baseball is huge in North America and much loved by the Japanese as well. The Mexican League is popular with sports bettors too and is the oldest professional sports league in Mexico. The dream for all Mexican baseball players is to be scouted by America’s MLB, but this has been made impossible recently due to a row about Julio Urias’s loss of his signing bonus after joining the MLB. This in itself has been made the subject of many bets – will the MLB and LMB rekindle their relationship any time soon? Lots of money is won and lost on baseball bets In Mexico. Their National team regularly plays (and often wins) international tournaments. - American Football
American Football is slowly becoming more popular around the world, in part due to the efforts of the NFL. The league created their “NFL International Series”, hoping that playing some high-profile games in cities outside the US would increase the popularity of their sport. The first game was held at Wembley in London. It was successful in increasing both the profile and popularity of American Football in England.
The game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers in Mexico City lit the flame in Mexico, though. Many sports critics have gone on record stating that American Football is now Mexico’s second favourite sport. With this popularity, of course, comes betting! As you would expect, most of the action is on American NFL games. Still, the Mexican Liga de Futbol Americano Profesional is slowly growing in popularity. Bets can be made on its games at most sportsbooks operating in Mexico.
The Profile of a Mexican Bettor
We were able to talk to a Mexican gambler briefly whilst writing this article, and he told us that most Mexican’s prefer sports betting to casino gambling, at least in the online market. The problem, he says, is that the lack of regulation means that there are literally hundreds of companies offering online casino games.
Many of these companies are untrustworthy because of the lack of a licensing regime. On the other hand, online sportsbooks do have the option of obtaining a Mexican license. When this is combined by certification by an authority such as the Curacao Gaming Control Board, he feels more confident depositing his money there.
Some Mexican sportsbooks offer casino games too, and these are the only ones he plays at. He named Bet365 specifically as a site that he fully trusts, thanks to their excellent reputation throughout Europe. They have gone to the effort of creating a Spanish language site for Mexicans and reaffirmed his belief that Bet365 is a safe and trustworthy place to gamble.
As for his favourite games, he likes to play live dealer blackjack and roulette – he doesn’t trust the virtual versions of these games. We asked him why that was and reassured him that licensed sites would not cheat players even in virtual blackjack and roulette. Despite this, he told us that seeing a human dealer spin the wheel or deal with the cards was much more exciting and exciting to him than trusting a computer to complete these actions.
It seems that superstition and distrust still play a key part in gambling in Mexico. This is not unusual – many people are suspicious of online casinos, believing it is far too easy for them to cheat players. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency-based casinos can use their blockchain technology to prove to players that they received a fair game after the current round has been completed.
While this is a great step forward for online casinos, the actual way this proof is delivered is complicated and difficult for many players to understand. If this problem can be overcome in the future, perhaps cryptocurrency online casinos will finally manage to dispel the myth that online casino gambling is rigged.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is online betting legal in Mexico?
Yes, all types of betting are legal in Mexico. This is because there is no legislation in effect that deals with online gambling in the country. A country-wide regulator is likely to be created soon, however. Still, there are no plans to ban any type of online gambling in the country for the time being.
Are there any taxes for Mexican players on their winnings?
The income tax rate in Mexico is 29%, and the laws regarding this make no distinction regarding where that income has come from. Therefore, Mexican gambling winnings should be declared as income and taxed at 29%.
Can I open an account and play in MXN?
Many sites will show player’s balances in Mexican Pesos as a convenience for Mexican gamblers. This makes it easier for them to understand how much they are betting. Other sites will show your balance in United States dollars.
Are there any betting restrictions for Mexican players?
Not at this time because of the lack of legislation or regulation in the Mexican online gaming market.
When Mexicans are choosing a site to gamble with, what are the primary things they should look for?
Sites such as this one make it easy for Mexicans to find legitimate online casinos and sportsbooks. The first thing to check is that the site has effective licensing in place, perhaps from Malta, Curacao, or the UK Gambling Commission. After this, it’s a matter of checking the quality of the site’s support, how good their promotions are, and how quickly they will process your withdrawals. We check all these things and many more before making the recommendations we have in the section “Top Online Betting Websites in Mexico” further.
Can I choose to view online gaming sites in Spanish rather than English? My English is not so good.
Yes, most online sites offering their services to Mexican players will automatically present their site in Spanish once they have detected that you are located in Mexico. If the site you are thinking of playing at does not appear to have any easy way to change the language to Spanish, treat this as a red flag and play elsewhere.
Our Verdict
The Mexican online gaming scene is possibly the world’s greatest market for players right now. It’s no wonder that online gambling is growing faster in this country than anywhere else in the world. However, new legislation is coming, and this could have a drastic effect on how online gambling works in Mexico. Until the new laws arrive, we can only speculate on what their effect might be.
For the time being, though, Mexicans who wish to gamble have more choices than anywhere else – and better bonus offers as a result. Now is a great time to be a Mexican gambler. Let’s hope that the new laws seek to protect players and ensure fair play across the industry, rather than weighing it down with unnecessary restrictions and prohibitions. We wait anxiously to discover just what the changes will mean.