The Mexican government has temporarily suspended 13 casinos after detecting an irregular financial scheme linked to online gambling in a federal investigation that uncovered a network of money movements pointing to possible breaches of anti–money laundering rules.
The operation was supported by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and its Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), reflecting growing cross-border cooperation on financial integrity within the gaming industry.
It was announced on the same day that U.S. FinCEN identified 10 casinos in Sinaloa, Baja California, and Tabasco for alleged money laundering tied to the Sinaloa Cartel and cut their access to the U.S. financial system.
Online betting companies bet365 and Betano have seen access to their platforms blocked since last Thursday because they operate in Mexico under the corporate names Ganadora Azteca and Operadora Ganadora TV Azteca, casinos linked to Grupo Salinas and suspended as part of the anti–money laundering operation.
Betano issued a statement saying that all customer balances are fully protected.
Suspicious Patterns
The digital casino said it was notified by the Ministry of the Interior (Segob) last Thursday about the temporary suspension of online operations for the website Betano.mx.
Mexican authorities identified suspicious patterns at the suspended casinos, as well as the use of personal data obtained through deception or identity theft to channel funds into physical and online gambling.
According to investigators, operators linked to the casinos used prepaid cards, digital codes and transfers of unverified origin, in addition to recording winnings that were never paid to the purported players.
Part of the funds was sent to jurisdictions such as Malta, Panama, Romania, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and the United States before being sent back into Mexico as apparently legitimate income.
The federal administration froze the related accounts while continuing to analyse structures designed to evade tax obligations.
Suspended
Although the government has not published the full list of affected operators for confidentiality reasons, Grupo Salinas, whose chairman is Ricardo Salinas Pliego, confirmed that two of its brands—Ganadora Azteca (bet365) and Operadora Ganadora TV Azteca (Betano.mx)—are among those suspended.
The group denied any wrongdoing, stating in a release that both subsidiaries comply with all legal requirements and sector regulations.
The company says it will challenge the measures in international forums.
President Claudia Sheinbaum insisted that the actions were not politically motivated and stemmed from evidence gathered over months of investigation. She also emphasized that the labour inspections of companies within the conglomerate were unrelated to the case.
The operation leaves Mexico’s iGaming and land-based sector facing increased scrutiny, with expectations that authorities will strengthen controls on player identity, transaction traceability, and the origin of funds, especially in hybrid operations that combine physical and digital channels.
Sinaloa Cartel Money?
Last week in Washington, FinCEN issued a resolution and a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) identifying transactions related to 10 gambling establishments located in Mexico as a category of transactions that “represent a primary money laundering concern”.
FinCEN proposes cutting off these gambling establishments’ access to the U.S. financial system by imposing a special measure that would prohibit regulated financial institutions—as defined in the NPRM—from opening or maintaining correspondent accounts for any foreign banking institution if such accounts are used to process transactions related to any of the following establishments:
Emine Casino (San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora)
Casino Mirage (Culiacán, Sinaloa)
Midas Casino (Agua Prieta, Sonora)
Midas Casino (Guamúchil, Sinaloa)
Midas Casino (Los Mochis, Sinaloa)
Midas Casino (Mazatlán, Sinaloa)
Midas Casino (Rosarito, Baja California)
Palermo Casino (Nogales, Sonora)
Skampa Casino (Ensenada, Baja California)
Skampa Casino (Villahermosa, Tabasco)
Criminal Group
FinCEN concludes that these gambling establishments are ultimately controlled by a criminal group with a stable financial and operational relationship through which they facilitate money laundering for the benefit of the Sinaloa Cartel, a national security threat that undermines the stability of the U.S. financial system.
“The Treasury Department and the Government of Mexico have been coordinating efforts to protect our financial institutions from the Sinaloa Cartel and its illicit financial activities,” said FinCEN Director Andrea Gacki.
“[FinCEN] will continue working to protect the U.S. financial system from abuse by illicit actors and will use all of its tools and powers to target the financing of transnational criminal organizations,” Gacki added.
When Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit suspended 13 casinos last week for irregular financial operations, it made clear that the Mexican government is establishing a new standard of control for the entire gaming and betting ecosystem, both land-based and online.
Authorities say that “grey areas” will no longer be tolerated.
The reform of the Federal Law for the Prevention and Identification of Operations with Illicitly Sourced Funds, approved in June 2025, along with adjustments to the Federal Penal Code, significantly increased the identification, monitoring, and reporting obligations for operators.
