Lawmakers in Mexico are working on a new gambling advertising law to introduce a new set of restrictions to provide more protection for under-18 audiences for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Legislators in Mexico are mulling over an outright ban in gambling advertising through the much-anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup. The quadrennial soccer competition is set to commence on June 11, 2026, with the opening match taking place on Mexican soil to kick off the 39-day tournament. As you may already know, Mexico will be hosting the soccer competition alongside Canada and the United States of America.
Member of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, Jericó Abramo Masso is the point man for this proposal. He drafted the bill to see to it that Mexico rolls out tighter measures governing sports promotions aired on paid and free-to-air tv. The measure is currently under scrutiny by the Chamber of Deputies’ Board of Directors. After approval from the committee, it will be moved to the Mexican Congress for a final vote.
According to Masso, this proposal is an answer to complaints brought by parents about the ad that expose their children to gambling messaging during sporting event broadcasts. He pointed out that the gambling promotions often falsely portray betting as sort of a get rich quick scheme which is especially detrimental for younger generations.
Schedules for the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches through June 27 are already out, and live coverage for fixtures have been set between noon and midnight in local Mexican time. Now, in the new bill, gambling operators will only be allowed to air their advertisements from 10:30pm to 6:00am local time in a bid to limit exposure during most of the broadcast for the live matches.
On top of the tv restrictions, this new bill aims to introduce extra controls on digital platforms. How Masso sees it, extending the measures to online spaces will bring additional safeguards particularly for soccer fans under the age of 18.
Mexican law currently demands that before being aired on tv, gambling ads must be approved for broadcast by the Secretariat of the Interior (SEGOB). Gambling operators are also required to abide by responsible gambling messaging codes of conduct that outlaw any language that appears to encourage excessive participation in betting.
As the new legislative debate over new gambling ads regulations continues, Mexico’s federal authorities have been reviewing the existing industry framework. MORENA, the ruling party, has admitted that there have been questions about the integrity of gambling under the century-old Federal Gaming and Lottery Law of 1947.
Initially, the SEGOB had organized some working groups that were looking into new proposals that would overhaul industry regulations. However, this process was put on a back burner after President Claudia Sheinbaum opened dialogue on a new taxation blueprint.
So, per the 2026 budget, a new taxation was approved by MORENA, upping the Special Tax on Production and Services (IEPS) tax rate on gaming turnover from 30% to 50%. This was part of a radical reform by the Mexican government to raise so-called sin taxes on the likes of gambling, tobacco, alcohol and even high sugar foodstuffs.
Additionally, the MORENA government disclosed that it plans to table a congressional bill that will be replacing the outdated 1947 gambling statute before the beginning of this year’s world cup. However, to date, there has been no information about any draft legislation on the same.
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