A federal appeals court in Mexico City ruled on 22 October 2026 in favour of Ganador Azteca, the company whose permit Bet365 and Betano used to operate in Mexico. According to EL CEO, the company was challenging a lower court’s refusal to grant it a suspensión definitiva, an interim order, against the blocking of its betting sites. This is interim relief, not a final ruling on the merits.

The decision by the 23rd Collegiate Administrative Court of the First Circuit still has to be published on the court’s notice boards, and the Interior Ministry (Segob) still has to comply. Bet365 and Betano have been offline in Mexico since November 2025.

What happened in the session

EL CEO is so far the only outlet to report on the session in detail. According to its account, the presenting magistrate, Martha Fabiola King Tamayo, rewrote a draft she had brought to an earlier session because it contained inaccuracies, and the new version favoured Ganador Azteca.

Magistrate Itzell Martínez Martínez said she would vote in favour. She noted that the first draft had cited a criminal investigation file opened against Bet365 and Betano that had no concrete link to this case. That reference was removed from the approved version.

The case number, the third magistrate and the final vote count have not been reported. We have not located the text of the ruling or any statement from Segob or the company.

Player money is still frozen

TV Azteca, which belongs to Grupo Salinas, as does Ganador Azteca, reported that customer funds remain frozen and that this ruling alone does not release them. Other reports name specific banks and say the servers will reopen in the coming days, but they cite no sources; that information is unconfirmed.

Ricardo Salinas Pliego posted on X on 23 October asking who would pay for his customers’ losses.

Background to the block

Accounts of how the block began differ. According to TV Azteca, on 11 November 2025 Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) added Ganador Azteca and its operating company to its list of blocked persons, after asking Segob to identify higher-risk permit holders. EL CEO reports instead that the UIF said it was investigating at least 13 casinos, Ganador Azteca’s among them, and that Segob then ordered their operations suspended.

The companies argue the block was imposed without a prior inspection, specific request, sanctions procedure, fine or formal finding of non-compliance.

The case has already produced several rulings. Judge Francisco Javier Rebolledo Peña of the Sixth District Administrative Court in Mexico City granted a suspensión definitiva so the apps could keep their domains. In March 2026, Judge Germán Cruz Silva of the Second District Court granted the amparo, finding that the order from the Directorate General of Games and Draws (Juegos y Sorteos) violated the right to be heard and due process. In that case, Juegos y Sorteos argued that any operator could fit the UIF’s risk description and that Ganador Azteca had been selected at random.

Ganador Azteca has also filed for voluntary concurso mercantil, Mexico’s court-supervised insolvency process, before the First District Court for Bankruptcy Matters.

What it means for operators and affiliates

The ruling does not mean Bet365 and Betano are coming back right away. It still has to be published and complied with by Segob, the account freezes are a separate legal matter, and the company is in insolvency proceedings.

For permit holders, the relevant point is that several judges have questioned the authorities’ blocking of an operator without a prior procedure. Even so, operators should keep their regulatory compliance and records with Segob and the UIF well documented.

For affiliates, the prudent course is not to redirect traffic or promise users a relaunch or refunds until there is official confirmation. The points to watch are publication of the ruling, Segob’s response and any further appeal.

This article is based on public information available at the time of publication. We try to verify the facts, but figures and details may contain errors or change, and iGaming.mx accepts no responsibility for their accuracy. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. Spotted a mistake? Email us.