Latin America Gambling Overview: Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia Regulations

Gambling laws in Latin America are changing rapidly. Brazil is set to launch an entirely new federal framework, while Argentina doesn’t even have a set of national laws. What’s the situation in Mexico and Colombia? Let’s find out together in this guide!

• Latin America Gambling Regulation at a Glance
• Argentina: Provincial Regulation Without a National Law
• Brazil: From New Framework to Operational Market
• Mexico: A 1947 Law Still Being Modernized
• Colombia: The Region’s Most Established Online Regulator
• What to Expect Through 2028 (A Hedged Outlook) 
• The Bottom Line for Players
• How We Verified This

Latin America Gambling Regulation at a Glance

Argentina: Provincial Regulation Without a National Law

As of the writing of this article, Argentina has no national law regulating online gambling. Nor do I believe this gap will be filled anytime soon. As a result, there are 24 distinct jurisdictions, each of which establishes its own regulations for online gambling. The exact number of jurisdictions regulating gambling varies from source to source. Some cite 16, others 22, or even 24.

The terms of these licenses vary significantly from one province to another. The Province of Buenos Aires issues licenses for a term of 15 years, while the City of Buenos Aires has a much shorter term of just 5 years.

There is no national license in Argentina. An online casino may be legal for you, who are physically located in a certain province, and illegal for a friend of yours who is in a neighboring province.

Brazil: From New Framework to Operational Market

Did you know what the most significant change in Latin America is? The regulation of gambling in Brazil! The year 2025 brought this change. If you live in Brazil, you’ll now find over 78 licensed operators. However, don’t get carried away. Don’t forget that bingo, land-based casinos, and gaming halls are still banned in Brazil, okay?

Taxes have changed

Starting in January 2026, licensed operators must pay a progressive tax on their gross revenue, in addition to income tax, PIS/COFINS contributions, and local taxes.

Adelina Paraschiv, the editor behind this article, has compiled the following information about the progressive tax rates:

• 13% in 2026
• 14% in 2027
• 15% in 2028

On top of these, there is also a separate social security contribution.

Mexico: A 1947 Law Still Being Modernized

Mexico has the oldest legal framework we’ll be discussing today. The federal law dates back to 1947. We’re talking about a law that’s several decades older than the internet, so its clear that it contains no provisions regarding online gambling.

In practice, most online gambling games are available to Mexican players and are operated directly throug platforms owned by the same entities that own land-based casinos. Starting in 2025, things have begun to change slowly but surely. A legislative proposal has been submitted to replace the old law. Will this change? We don’t know. As of the time of witing and publishing this article, the bill has not yet been passed. If it is passed, we’ll provide an update!

Colombia: The Region’s Most Established Online Regulator

I’ve told you about each market individually, and now it’s Colombia’s turn. Here we find the longest-standing tradition when it comes to regulating online gambling. What’s more, it’s actually the first country in Latin America to have a comprehensive licensing system.

Under this system, an operator signs a 5-year contract that covers all types of online gambling. All under a single license! To keep the license active, the operator pays an annual fee of 250,000 EUR.

In addition to this fee, there is a variable tax of 15% of the gross gaming revenue (GGR) and a national consumption tax of 16%. Keep in mind, however, that this tax is not permanent; it was introduced as an emergency measure to aid flood victims.

What to Expect Through 2028 (A Hedged Outlook)

So, as we approach the end of this article, you’re probably wondering what to expect by 2028. Predictions are inherently uncertain but we’ll share our thoughts based on current trends.

We believe that Brazil will see a continuous tightening of regulations. More and more laws aganst illegal casinos will be introduced there!
In Argentina, we expect more provinces to adopt online gambling regulations. However, we don’t expect a single national law during this period. And in Mexico, the outcome is uncertain. Even though there is a proposed reform bill, we’ve seen that the review period has been extended until August 2027. So, we’ll have to wait a while longer!

In Colombia, were certain there will be ongoing adjustments to the tax regime. Why? Well, the consumption tax which we mentioned briefly above has just been introduced. We’ll have to wait and see what happens!

The Bottom Line for Players

Now that we’re nearing the end of this article, let’s put everything together. Latin America doesn’t operate under a single gambling law, right? As you learned earlier, there are four different regulatory frameworks.

Our advice is to always check a casino’s license before signing up. Never rely solely on what the casino says. Check it out yourself and do your own research!

How We Verified This

The CasinoAlpha team carefully verifies every piece of information it includes in the guides on our website. That’s exactly what we’ve done here. We’ve verified the information in this article using multiple sources. We’ve also carefully reviewed the lists of operators published by the Secretariat for Awards and Betting. Since we’ve discussed laws in this guide, we’ve paid special attention to the latest updates.

Keep in mind that figures vary from one source to another, so we’ve chosen to present them on our site as ranges, okay? Even regulations change quickly. We try to keep up. However, it’s best to always check the current status of a license before signing up at a casino.

As we always recommend: play responsibly! Seek help when you feel the need!