Mexico proposes primetime gambling ad ban ahead of World Cup

• Federal Deputy Jericó Abramo Masso has presented a bill to ban gambling advertising before 10:30pm on all broadcast channels in Mexico.
• The proposal arrives as operators face a sharp tax increase and as similar advertising restrictions gain momentum across Latin America and North America.
• The bill is still pending committee review before it can reach Mexico’s full Congress for debate.

A Mexican federal lawmaker has proposed banning gambling advertising during primetime television hours, targeting the volume of online casino and sports betting promotions shown during family sports broadcasts.

Federal Deputy Jericó Abramo Masso submitted the bill last week, citing harm to children exposed to misleading claims about gambling profits. Mexico co-hosts 13 group-stage matches across Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the tournament starting June 11 across North America.

The bill and what it would do

The legislation would prohibit gambling operators from advertising before 10:30pm on both free and pay-TV channels, regardless of when sports events air. It does not constitute an outright ban. Operators could still promote their products outside designated family viewing hours.

Federal Deputy of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, Abramo Masso, said the measure was developed in direct response to parental concerns about children seeing gambling promotions during high-audience broadcasts.

“When watching sports on television, at any time of the day, we see these advertisements for online casinos and gambling, suggesting you can become a millionaire,” Masso said.

“These lies and fallacies that could lead our sons and daughters to become gambling addicts.”

The bill has been referred to committees within the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Deputies and is still pending committee review. If those committees approve it, the legislation will proceed to a full congressional debate.

Mexico’s existing advertising framework

Mexico already maintains advertising rules for the gambling sector. Under the Reglamento de la Ley Federal de Juegos y Sorteos, gambling advertisements must not encourage excessive participation, mislead the public, or target minors. All campaigns require prior authorisation from the Secretariat of the Interior, and operators must display their bureau authorisation folio in all promotional materials.

A separate proposal from 2025 would have gone further, banning gambling sponsorships and influencer-led promotional content entirely. That bill did not advance.

Operators already under financial pressure

The proposed advertising restriction arrives at a difficult moment for Mexico’s gambling industry. The country’s 2026 fiscal package raised the Special Tax on Production and Services on gambling from 30% to 50%, applying to both online and land-based wagering.

The increase gives Mexico one of the highest effective gaming tax rates in Latin America.

Aviv Sher, CEO of Codere Online, said at SBC Digital Day – LATAM that the tax hike was “a blow to the industry,” adding that for smaller operators it amounted to “a death sentence” that damaged competition in the market.

Roughly 60% of iGaming activity in Mexico currently occurs outside the regulated framework, per recent AIEJA estimates. Any move to restrict advertising from licensed operators risks reinforcing that dynamic by reducing the visibility of regulated brands against unregulated alternatives.

A regional and North American trend

The Mexican proposal sits within a broader regional debate over gambling advertising. In Brazil, the Senate Science and Technology Committee recently advanced a bill imposing curbs on gambling ads and sponsorships across media, though it has not yet been enacted as a final nationwide ban.

Across North America, Canada’s Ontario introduced some of the continent’s most stringent advertising rules at its 2022 market launch and subsequently banned athletes and celebrities from gambling promotions to protect young audiences.

Alberta is now following Ontario’s regulatory framework as it prepares to open its own commercial iGaming market.

Canadian Senator Marty Deacon has also led efforts to create a nationwide advertising framework, with the Senate approving the legislation in late 2024 and the House of Commons now considering it.

In the United States, state-level approaches vary. Massachusetts bars operators from targeting minors and self-excluded bettors, while Ohio prohibits targeting under-21s including through college campus advertising.

World Cup timing adds urgency

Mexico’s co-hosting role gives the advertising debate immediate commercial significance. Betting volumes during World Cup periods can match a full year’s activity within a single tournament month.

Industry body AIEJA has urged the government to use 2026 as a catalyst for broader regulatory modernisation. Mexico’s gambling market is governed by the Federal Gaming and Raffles Law of 1947, legislation that predates online betting entirely.

President Claudia Sheinbaum has acknowledged the need for reform, but progress on a new framework remains slow. Whether Abramo Masso’s targeted advertising measure advances through committee independently, or is absorbed into the wider legislative overhaul, will determine how quickly operators and broadcasters must adapt.