Mexico moves to criminalise match-fixing and curb betting club conflicts of interest

Mexico’s Congress has received a reform package that would make sports manipulation a federal crime and introduce strict barriers between bookmakers and professional clubs, including licence cancellation, heavy fines, and mandatory integrity monitoring.

Mexico is moving toward a tougher integrity framework for professional sport after PAN deputy Marcelo de Jesús Torres Cofiño filed two linked initiatives in the Chamber of Deputies on 18 February 2026. Together, the proposals aim to criminalise match manipulation at the federal level and reduce conflicts of interest between sports betting operators and professional clubs.

The first initiative would amend the Federal Penal Code by creating a new chapter titled “Crimes against the integrity of professional sport” and introducing Articles 390 Ter, 390 Quáter and 390 Quintus. It defines fraudulent manipulation of professional sporting events—altering outcomes, match development or statistics for economic gain, including via betting systems—and sets penalties of four to ten years in prison plus fines. Separate offences would cover misuse of “sports insider information” for betting, bribery aimed at influencing matches, and using a club to conceal proceeds linked to illegal betting or sports fraud, with prison terms of three to eight years and additional fines. The bill also increases penalties by half in aggravating scenarios, including when committed by club owners/executives, during national or international tournaments, or via registered betting houses.

A notable enforcement element is the requirement for the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) to establish a specialised unit focused on sports integrity and illegal betting within 90 days of the law taking effect, working in coordination with Mexico’s financial intelligence and banking oversight bodies.

The second initiative targets structural conflicts of interest by changing the Federal Law of Games and Raffles and the General Law of Physical Culture and Sport. It would prohibit betting permit-holders, operators, directors or beneficiaries from acting as owners, investors, sponsors, representatives or administrators of professional clubs, and would likewise bar club owners/administrators from holding interests in betting businesses. Proposed sanctions include immediate cancellation of the betting licence, fines of up to 100,000 UMA daily units, suspension or revocation of a club’s league registration, a 10-year disqualification for responsible individuals, and mandatory notification to Mexico’s UIF and CNBV.

Beyond ownership rules, the bill would require national federations, professional leagues and clubs to implement a Sports Integrity Code—covering betting prohibitions for participants, public disclosure of financial interests, anonymous reporting channels, and mandatory integrity clauses in contracts—while creating a national integrity monitoring system led by CONADE with CNBV and UIF. If adopted, affected parties would have a 180-day window to unwind prohibited links, signalling that Mexico is exploring a more compliance-heavy model where betting and sport governance are kept at arm’s length.