The legislative exhortation to open the registration of casinos and online gambling in Mexico

The gambling and betting market in Mexico is at an inflection point where technological evolution and the demand for accountability converge. Recently, the Permanent Commission of the Congress of the Union became the scene of a crucial proposal for the future of the sector: a draft resolution that formally urges the Ministry of the Interior (SEGOB), through the General Directorate of Games and Sweepstakes (DGJS), to publish an open, detailed and transparent registry of all permits granted to physical casinos and online sports betting platforms.

The initiative, promoted by Deputy Rubén Ignacio Moreira Valdez, puts the finger on the sore spot on an ecosystem that has grown by leaps and bounds, but that still drags information asymmetries and regulatory challenges inherited from legislation that originally dates back to 1947.

The Claim of "Open Data" in the Digital Age

The core of the proposal is not punitive, but one of order and legal certainty. The exhortation formally requests that the information of the permit holders cease to be fragmented or difficult to access, migrating to an open data format.

For formal industry, this step could be extremely beneficial. A transparent registry would allow users and investors to verify in real-time the legality of any website or physical establishment, separating legitimate operators from those operating in the digital underground.

X-ray of the exhortation: What information is sought to be transparent?

The draft resolution of the Congress outlines three fundamental axes of information that the DGJS should make available to the public.

1. The real status of the physical game: A detailed breakdown by state of the Remote Betting Centers and Draw Rooms (CARSS). The aim is to know precisely which establishments are operating, which are suspended and which have been permanently closed in the last five years.
2. The online betting ecosystem: An exhaustive list of authorized digital platforms, mobile applications, and websites. The proposed registry should include the identity of the licensees, the operating companies and, crucially, the official internet domains linked to each permit.
3. Oversight mechanisms: Information on the audits and supervision implemented to ensure the traceability of the resources that flow through these platforms.

Prevention of money laundering and shielding of the sector

One of the main arguments put forward in Congress to justify the urgency of this registry is the mitigation of financial risks, specifically money laundering and terrorist financing.

Because online gambling processes millions of transactions daily through electronic wallets, credit cards and bank transfers, the lack of a public registry of authorized websites makes it difficult for the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) and users themselves to monitor them.

"Opacity not only damages the reputation of an industry that brings in billions of pesos in taxes, but also opens the door for criminal networks to use front platforms to launder assets." It indicates part of the spirit of the parliamentary project.

Towards a regulatory update that cannot be postponed

This movement within the Permanent Commission of the Congress of the Union reflects an undeniable reality for our industry: the current legal framework has been overtaken by technology. The Federal Law on Games and Sweepstakes requires a comprehensive reform that understands online gambling not as a peripheral extension of traditional casinos, but as a digital native market with its own dynamics.

The creation of an open and transparent registry should not be seen as an obstacle for operators, but as the basic infrastructure to consolidate a secure, competitive market with high standards of compliance at the international level. The ball is now in the court of the corresponding authorities to respond to this call for transparency.

*Gerardo Ballesteros Félix Díaz, is a Lawyer Specializing in Games and Sweepstakes and senior partner of the law firm LC Gaming.