Coahuila state deputy Alberto Hurtado is working on a reform to strengthen state rules on gambling addiction and keep minors off online casino platforms, according to remarks reported by Telediario on 5 November 2026. No text, bill name or filing date has been made public: for now it is a stated intention, not a bill before Congress.
In the same report, Hurtado acknowledged that online casinos fall under federal jurisdiction and that the state Congress cannot ban them, but can push prevention and protection measures and tighter oversight.
The only formal step: a non-binding motion
The confirmed step came on 27 October, when Hurtado filed a punto de acuerdo in the Coahuila Congress, a non-binding motion urging authorities to act. It is not a bill, and there is no official review of online casinos under way in the state. Whether the motion has been voted on could not be confirmed.
It asks the federal government to assess whether a national information system is feasible to track participation and spending on betting platforms, with personal-data safeguards. According to local press, it would separate deposits, amounts wagered and net losses. One outlet called it a user registry, but what is requested is a feasibility study.
It asks the state Health Department for a diagnosis of risk groups in Coahuila and stronger prevention, early detection, mental-health care and guidance for families.
Hurtado’s argument is that physical casinos are banned in Coahuila, yet online betting is open to anyone with a phone; in his view, a physical casino and a virtual one are the same thing. He said he is not trying to criminalise the platforms or overstep state powers, though reforms giving local authorities more powers “se analizarán” (will be looked at).
The figures he cites
Hurtado relied on national data from the ENCODAT 2025 survey, which we have not checked against the original. By his reading, 4.3% of people aged 12 to 65 took part in betting and 6.3% of them showed signs of problem gambling, around 249,239 people. Among 12- to 17-year-olds, 6.9% bet in the past year and 7% of them showed signs of a problem, about 63,445 minors.
Hurtado himself conceded that the survey covers all forms of betting, cannot isolate online play and has no Coahuila-specific data.
A state without casinos
Coahuila has banned casinos, with municipalities using land-use rules to keep them out. In 2023, then-governor Riquelme said he would authorise none, calling them a source of organised-crime funding.
In August 2026, Morena’s caucus coordinator Magaly Hernández Aguirre called for school prevention campaigns, citing, among other cases, minors in Saltillo betting thousands of pesos a day and teenagers as young as 15 seeking psychological help in Monclova.
What it means for operators and affiliates
Gambling in Mexico is regulated federally, so Coahuila cannot ban or license online operators, as Hurtado himself acknowledges. Nothing announced so far changes any current obligation.
The realistic exposure lies in state health and education campaigns, data requests and political pressure that feeds the federal debate. According to press reports, proposed reforms to the Federal Gaming and Draws Law include ID checks to keep minors out, health warnings and advertising limits, and a project to raise the legal betting age to 21 is still pending.
Tracking deposits, stakes and losses would mean data-reporting obligations if it were ever adopted federally; for now it is only a request for a feasibility study. Operators and affiliates would do well to review their age controls and campaign targeting so they do not reach minors, and to watch the Coahuila Congress gazette in case the announced reform is filed.
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