Mexico Casino Travel Guide

What are the gambling laws in Mexico?

Located in North America, Mexico boarders the United States. It is a popular destination for travelers along the Caribbean seacoast. However due to drug cartels and violence tourism is discouraged along the borders of the US and Pacific Ocean. Gambling in this region is limited mainly due to political and the religious impact of the Catholic Church. Tourism in Las Vegas Casinos places Mexico fourth in the highest amount of visiting traffic. Gambling restrictions are slowly lifted, entering a new market for online Casinos and land based Casinos keeping in pace with a new era of gaming.

Mexico Casino License and Regulation 🛡️

The legalities around online casinos in Mexico are murky at best, and a little hard to follow. Land-based casinos are allowed, provided they have a state license and mostly appeal to foreigners. But online casino legislation is downright grey, with the task of the government drafting new legislation often postponed.

Currently, there are no set-in-stone laws around online casinos for Mexicans. The government doesn’t block residents from accessing offshore casino sites. However, the Dirección General de Jeugos y Sorteio (DGJS) does allow offshore casinos to accept Mexican players only if they have a license.

The Legal Landscape

President Lazaro Cardenas is believed to have been the first official to make certain forms of gambling illegal when he took office in 1935. The move came several decades after the 1911 Mexican Revolution, which saw the French colonists driven out and all French-style casinos closed. Thanks to increasing pressure from the Catholic Church over the next few years, the legislation was extended to cover all forms of gambling in 1947. However, these laws were not maintained as strictly as they could have been, with lotteries and sports betting still widespread throughout the latter half of the 20th Century.

After several decades of denial, the government accepted that the legislation had long ceased to be effective and in 2004 finally relaxed the gaming laws, four years into Vincente Fox's presidency. Gambling in Mexico now falls under the control of the Secretaría de Gobernacion, or Ministry of the Interior. In the month following the new regulations, serving Secretary of State Santiago Creel approved more gaming licences than had been issued in the previous 77 years.

Online gambling in Mexico appeared a few years before these laws were changed, when the government tentatively issued a small number of online licences. The fairly significant catch, however, was that they catered only to foreign players, with Mexican citizens banned from taking part. However, bookmakers in other countries were not blocked from offering services to Mexicans and since the country shares the Spanish language with many others, Mexican online gamblers were virtually spoilt for choice, with over 470 websites accepting Mexican players.

The Future of Gambling in Mexico

Mexico has only recently laid out laws for gambling, both physically and online, so there is still plenty of room for the market to grow. While internet access in many rural areas had restricted the growth of online gaming, the arrival of affordable smartphone technology provides Mexican citizens with a cheaper way to access the internet and the wealth of gambling options it offers. However, with the lines between legal and illegal gaming still fairly blurred, the country may need to clarify its laws further if it hopes to secure investment or publicity from the larger gambling chains.

Casino.guru is an independent source of information about online casinos and online casino games, not controlled by any gambling operator. All our reviews and guides are created honestly, according to the best knowledge and judgement of the members of our independent expert team; however, they are intended for informative purposes only and should not be construed as, nor relied upon as, legal advice. You should always make sure that you meet all regulatory requirements before playing in any selected casino.Copyright ©2022

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Range of popular titles to be released through OPENGAMING™ to RSI’s RushBet players in Latin American market

LAS VEGAS – September 27, 2022 – Light & Wonder, Inc. (NASDAQ: LNW) (“Light & Wonder,” “L&W” or the “Company”) continues its mission to deliver new worlds of play to consumers by expanding its partnership with Rush Street Interactive (NYSE: RSI) (“RSI”), a U.S.-based gaming company, now available in the regulated Mexican market with RSI’s RushBet brand.

The furthering of the partnership between RSI and L&W will see a wide range of popular in-house and third-party titles rolled out at RushBet through the OpenGaming ecosystem to players in Mexico for the first time. RSI operates sports betting and online casino in Mexico in partnership with Grupo Multimedios, a subsidiary of which holds a license to operate online gaming.

The first batch of titles to hit the market in Mexico include 88 FORTUNES® and MARVELLOUS MOUSE™, Big Time Gaming’s (BTG) BONANZA MEGAWAYS™, DRAGON PALACE™ by Lightning Box, the studio which joined the Light & Wonder family earlier this year, and HYPERNOVA MEGAWAYS™ by ReelPlay, a rising star in the industry and creator of the INFINITY REELS mechanic. A further range of exciting content, including player favorites from the land-based environment, will follow in the coming months.

This launch reaffirms Light & Wonder as the leading cross-platform global game company, delivering immersive content for operators and tribes worldwide, as well as providing a platform for major international expansion for third party studios.

Tatiana García Barrenechea, Commercial Director – LATAM, at Light & Wonder,said, “Light & Wonder is honored to enhance its partnership with RSI, a proven and respected force in the gaming industry, to take content into Mexico for the first time. This expansion into one of the top-performing markets in Latin America furthers our quest of becoming the leading content aggregator in the region. We believe that our localized offering, including games heavily influenced by trends in the land-based market, will prove popular with players and significantly further the goals of both parties.”

Richard Schwartz, Chief Executive Officer at RSI, said, “Light & Wonder has become a global leader in the gaming world by providing a portfolio of the highest quality that resonates with players. We are excited to be able to bring top-class, highly popular casino games to players in Mexico and we look forward to further expanding the catalogue of games for players in the country in the coming months. We have seen the popularity of land-based favorites through RSI’s casino sites in the U.S. and Colombia and fully expect our players within the market of Mexico to thoroughly enjoy the entertaining slot games Light & Wonder has to offer.”

We are delighted to expand our partnership with the Light & Wonder team for our premier in Mexico.”

© 2022 Light & Wonder, Inc. and its Subsidiaries. All rights reserved.

About Light & Wonder, Inc.Light & Wonder, Inc. (formerly known as Scientific Games Corporation), is the global leader in cross-platform games and entertainment. The Company brings together 5,000 employees from six continents to connect content between land-based and digital channels with unmatched technology and distribution. Guided by a culture that values daring teamwork and creativity, the Company builds new worlds of play, developing game experiences loved by players around the globe. Its OpenGaming™ platform powers the largest digital-gaming network in the industry. The Company is committed to the highest standards of integrity, from promoting player responsibility to implementing sustainable practices. To learn more, visit lnw.com.

Media Inquiries:Media@lnw.com

Forward-Looking StatementsIn this press release, the Company makes “forward-looking statements” within themeaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “will,” “may,” and “should.” These statements are based upon management’s current expectations, assumptions and estimates and are not guarantees of timing, future results, or performance. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated in these statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those factors described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including the Company’s current reports on Form 8-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and its annual report on Form 10-K that was filed with the SEC on March 1, 2022 (including under the headings “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors”). Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except for the Company’s ongoing obligations under the U.S. federal securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Rush Street Interactive

RSI is a trusted online gaming and sports entertainment company focused on markets in the United States, Canada and Latin America. Through its brands, BetRivers, PlaySugarHouse and RushBet, RSI was an early entrant in many regulated jurisdictions. It currently offers real-money mobile and online operations in thirteen U.S. states: Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Michigan, Indiana, Virginia, Colorado, Iowa, West Virginia, Arizona and Louisiana, as well as in the regulated international markets of Ontario, Canada, Colombia and Mexico. RSI offers, through its proprietary online gaming platform, some of the most popular online casino games and sports betting options in the United States. Founded in 2012 in Chicago by gaming industry veterans, RSI was named the 2022 EGR North America Awards Operator of the Year, Customer Services Operator of the Year and Social Gaming Operator of the Year, and the 2021 SBC Latinoamérica Awards Sportsbook Operator of the Year. RSI was the first U.S.-based online casino and sports betting operator to receive RG Check iGaming Accreditation from the Responsible Gaming Council. For more information, visit www.rushstreetinteractive.com.

Contacts

Media:

Lisa Johnson

(609) 788-8548

lisa@lisajohnsoncommunications.com

Investors:

ir@rushstreetinteractive.com

LATAMLatin AmericaLight & WonderMexicoOpenGamingRushBet

Legalization of Land Based Casinos

There were originally only two states in Mexico offering legalized Casino gaming including Juarez Chihuahua and Mexico City that had largest Land based Casino in the country; Hipodromo de las Americas & Royal Yak Casino. As Mexico moves into the future of gambling today there is over 100 gambling establishments.

Casinos in resort areas are now available in major cities like Cancun, Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta offering Video Slots, Blackjack and Poker. Other forms of gambling available include:

• Dog Races
• Horse Racing
• Jai Alai
• Sports Betting
• Bullfighting
• Cockfighting
• Lottery
• Scratch Cards

Large Las Vegas Casino groups like Caesars Entertainment and MGM Mirage and Park Place Entertainment are predicted to move into the Mexican market. Racinos are also a popular choice incorporating Horse Racing tracks with Casino games.