Betting Sites in Mexico
When thinking about Mexico, you can’t help but go straight to tortilla, mariachi, tequila or guacamole. Of course, if you ask a football fan, you’ll most likely hear about Chivas, America, Cuz Azul, and Pumas. And no matter what comes in mind when you think about Mexico, one thing is certain, it’s a country with an amazing heritage and many traditions that treats football like a religion.
So, it’s no wonder that this country gave the world amazing football players like Javier Hernandez, Raul Jimenez, Hector Herrera, or Guillermo Ochoa. And even though football is, without doubt, the most popular sport in the country, Mexicans are also into boxing, basketball, baseball, and golf.
When you combine the passion for sports with a population of over 126 million, you get an extraordinary environment for sports betting. So, it comes as no surprise that there are plenty of online bookmakers focusing their activity on Mexico. The online betting landscape is supervised by the Dirección General de Juegos y Sorteos, the same authority that issues the licenses needed for operators to offer their services in the country. The law in effect for online betting is the Regulations of the Mexican Federal Law of Gambling and Raffles, passed in 2004 and amended several times until the present.
Best betting sites in Mexico
How Betting Takes Place in Mexico
The law mentioned above is actually in effect ever since 1947 but in its original form, this law deemed all gambling activities as illegal. President Lazaro Cardenas passed this law to prevent Mexican citizens from betting and gambling and it took lots of effort to make gambling legal again. It was in 2004 when the legislation was loosened and since then several amendments turned Mexico into a market where bookmakers can thrive.
Actually, Mexico is now considered one of the fastest-growing online gamblint markets in Latin America. Despite Mexican players not being allowed to play at local online betting and gambling sites, they are still allowed to enjoy the services of offshore online bookmakers. Mexican punters can enjoy the services of big bookmakers like 1xBet and bet365 that were the most recent companies to get a Mexican license.
Despite the seemingly openness towards international betting websites, Mexico started a mass operation which involves closing a lot of land-based casinos and gambling venues. There were talks about implementing a new law for online betting as well, however, things seem to be in a standstill for now. However, if such a law were to be passed, it would mean payment restrictions and ISP blocks towards all unlicensed operators in the country.
The fee to apply for an online betting license in Mexico is 2% of the income and if granted the license, the operator will face an income tax of 30% on Gross Gaming Revenue. Since the revenue from betting taxes is important for the federal government, some companies receive deductions to encourage setting up new businesses in the area.
Things Every Betting Site in Mexico Must Offer
For a bookmaker to be successful in Mexico, there’s one main rule to follow: offer plenty of football at high odds. First of all, a complete coverage of Liga MX and the top 5 football leagues in Europe are a must. Then, the offer of betting markets for each of these competitions is also important since Mexican punters are all about the in-detail bets. Any bookmaker that offers Mexican peso as standard currency and the Spanish language on the website, together with the things mentioned above, will have a good chance of becoming a top sportsbook in the country. Of course, besides football, pesos, and the Spanish language, bookmakers should cover other sports like boxing, basketball, or baseball with competitive odds and plenty of markets as well. The betting sites in Mexico are also known for the high rewards they offer for players, so a good deposit bonus bet promo is also a big plus for a bookmaker that wants to make it big in the region.
Can Punters from Mexico Access Foreign Betting Sites?
For the time being, the Mexico gambling authority didn’t take any steps towards blocking access to international betting sites. So, the number of betting sites allowed in Mexico is quite high and players can choose their favorites. However, a new law on online betting could be adopted in the future and that will mean complete control of the local authorities on the betting landscape.
Of course, this law won’t affect the Mexican betting companies that already received a license to operate in the country. However, through ISP blocks, payment restrictions, and other restrictive measures, punters could be kept away from international betting sites that are not licensed in the territory. Talks about such a law made some progress in the past, however, in the current climate, it’s very unlikely for the federal government to pass such a law that would seriously affect the state revenue.
And even though names like 1xBet and bet365 got a license to operate in the country, unlicensed brands still hold some advantages. Being able to offer higher bonuses is definitely one of them. Since they don’t pay a tax, unlicensed operators can even offer higher odds or a lower house edge, and the list can go on.
What Payment Methods Can I Use on Mexican Betting Sites?
The licensed Mexican betting sites offer all the popular payment options, both international and local. International payment methods like PaysafeCard, Neteller, Skrill or EcoPayz are also available in Mexico and lots of punters use them for their fast transaction time and low or non-existent fees. However, the vast majority of Mexican punters prefer to pay with local options such as StroPay, OXXO, or Todito Cash.
The average minimum deposit amount is €10 and the maximum amount differs from one betting site to another, with the lowest maximum amount per transaction set by Paysafe at €500. However, when using cards or ewallets, this amount can go up to €5,000.
The same popular payment options are used by Mexican bettors for withdrawals as well. Again, ewallets come on top since they offer the shortest processing time. A withdrawal can be processed in as little as a couple of hours via ewallet. Bank transfers are also often used even though it can take up to 3 business days from the transaction to be completed. The bookmakers presented on our website do not apply fees for withdrawals so you can be sure that everything you withdraw will end up in your account.
Are Betting Exchanges Available in Mexico?
Since there are no active bans on offshore bookmakers, popular betting exchanges such as Betfair or Smarkets can be accessed by Mexican punters. Betting exchanges are sometimes preferred by punters that want to place a bet that’s not available at any of the bookmakers, or simply to get a better price for the bet they want to place. Even if the situation changed in Mexico, punters should still be able to access betting exchanges through VPN software.
Where can I File a Complaint About a Mexican Betting Site?
In case there’s something wrong with your betting experience and you want to file a complaint, there are two ways to handle things. When playing at a licensed operator in Mexico, you should address your complaint to the Dirección General de Juegos y Sorteos since they’re the authority to contact about any issue on betting or gambling. Otherwise, when playing at offshore bookmakers, you should identify the regulatory authority that issued their license and contact them directly for a complaint. We’re also here to help you with any kind of issue you encountered with a bookmaker that we recommended. So, don’t hesitate to contact us and we will do our best to get your message across.
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