Mexico: lawmaker proposes 10:30pm “watershed” for betting and casino ads on TV

PRI deputy Jericó Abramo Masso has filed an initiative to restrict gambling advertising on free-to-air and pay TV before 22:30, with a particular focus on high-audience sports broadcasts.

The debate over gambling advertising rules is back on Mexico’s legislative agenda after federal deputy Jericó Abramo Masso presented a proposal aimed at limiting ads for betting apps and “electronic casinos” during family viewing hours. According to local reporting, the initiative would allow this type of advertising only at night, after 10:30pm, to reduce minors’ exposure to gambling messaging—especially in widely watched sports transmissions on both broadcast and pay television.

The measure has been sent to the Chamber of Deputies’ leadership (Mesa Directiva) and is expected to move through committee review before any potential floor debate. While the text of Abramo Masso’s initiative was still at the “turnover for analysis” stage in the coverage, it would add momentum to a broader push already underway: a separate proposal by deputy Juan Ignacio Zavala Gutiérrez (Movimiento Ciudadano) on protecting minors from betting advertising across TV and other platforms was published in the Gaceta and routed to committees in December 2025.

If the new initiative advances, it could reshape how licensed brands time mass-market marketing in Mexico, moving the center of gravity toward late-night inventory and tightening scrutiny around sports programming that attracts mixed-age audiences.