Mexican gambling taxation could be updated under new ‘health tax’ proposal

The update comes following Mexico’s Finance Minister announcing a range of new potential taxes.

As part of Mexico’s 2026 Economic Package, the nation’s Finance Minister Édgar Amador has announced a number of new tax proposals on goods such as soda drinks, tobacco, video games and – as specified in a recent news conference – gambling.  

Indeed, the specifics pertaining to potential tax rates and the nature of collection of this newly proposed structure, which have been labelled ‘health taxes’ by Amador, have not yet been specified. However, Mexico’s Minister has stated that the Government expects to collect a total $2.2bn from soda drinks over the course of 2026, with the money to then be distributed in its entirety to the nation’s health budget as a combative tool to help tackle issues related to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular-related diseases.  

This initiative, authorized by newly elected President Claudia Sheinbaum, indicates that should there be any additional ‘health tax’ applied to the gambling industry, it would be done so in the interest of re-investing funds towards sustainable, protective and responsible interests.   

Indeed, this latest announcement comes following the seizure of nine slot machines by the Mexican Government as part of a Hermosillo illegal gambling raid last month.  

Good to know: Last week, the Mexican Government also joined the National Lottery’s “México con M de Migrante” draw to help raise funds for Mexican migrants 

Specifically, the initiative sought to provide funds for Mexicans supporting their families from overseas and came following an additional announcement that the Government of Morelos would be launching a new special lottery raffle to support the same cause.  

Will Underwood

Visit Profile

Players trust our reporting due to our commitment to unbiased and professional evaluations of the iGaming sector. We track hundreds of platforms and industry updates daily to ensure our news feed and leaderboards reflect the most recent market shifts. With nearly two decades of experience within iGaming, our team provides a wealth of expert knowledge. This long-standing expertise enables us to deliver thorough, reliable news and guidance to our readers.