Mexico

Mexico crackdown on alleged illegal slots challenged by operators

By James Marrison - 24 August 2026

Mexican authorities are stepping up action against machines they classify as illegal gambling devices, after Operativo Dos de Bastos resulted in the seizure of 3,374 maquinitas across 84 municipalities in the State of Mexico.

The July operation was led by the State of Mexico Attorney General’s Office (FGJEM), with support from the armed forces and National Guard, under the National Strategy against Extortion.

Authorities alleged that the machines generated revenue for criminal groups and exposed minors to gambling-related risks. They also recovered 9.697 tonnes of coins from the machines, valued at around MXN9m.

However, owners and operators have challenged the crackdown. Members of the Unión Nacional de Maquineros (UNAMA) protested outside the FGJEM headquarters in Toluca on 19 August, demanding the return of seized equipment and clarification over the investigation files and prosecutors handling the cases.

UNAMA president Araceli Gutiérrez Caballero rejected what she described as a blanket characterisation of operators as criminals. “We are the owners, we are the ones who operate them and pay the people who work there,” she said. “Let them prove it, not just say it.”

Gutiérrez Caballero said UNAMA members could provide invoices and tax records for their machines, and called on authorities to distinguish between legitimate business owners and individuals involved in criminal activity.

The dispute highlights the difference between the small, coin-operated maquinitas targeted in the operation and electronic gaming machines operating in licensed casinos. Mexico’s 2023 regulatory reform generally prohibits slot machines and blocks new casino slot-machine operations. Some casinos nevertheless continue to operate legacy electronic gaming machines under pre-existing permits, transitional provisions or court protections.

Authorities generally treat maquinitas installed in small businesses as prohibited machines where customers pay to play for the chance to win a prize. However, UNAMA’s protest means the legal status and ownership of individual seized machines might now be contested through the courts.

Separately, Morena deputy Pedro Miguel Haces Barba introduced a bill on 15 April that would place a specific slot-machine ban in the Federal Law on Games and Raffles. The proposal would establish prison terms of two to four years, fines, machine confiscation and permanent closure of premises for prohibited-machine activity. It remains pending in the Chamber of Deputies.