Authorities in the State of Mexico seized 3,374 gambling machines in Operation Dos de Bastos in July. The raid covered 84 municipalities and involved the state prosecutor's office, the army and the National Guard. Officers also confiscated 9,697 tonnes of coins worth around $500,000.
Prosecutors classify maquinitas — small coin-operated machines placed in shops and bars — as prohibited devices when customers pay for a chance to win a prize. Authorities said the machines generate income for criminal groups and pose risks to minors.
On 19 August members of the operators' union UNAMA gathered outside the prosecutor's office in Toluca, demanding the return of seized equipment and access to case files. Union president Araceli Gutiérrez Caballero rejected the criminal allegations: 'We are the owners, we operate the machines and we pay the people who work there. Let them prove it, not just say it.' She said UNAMA members are prepared to produce invoices and tax filings for their machines.
The dispute touches the line between illegal maquinitas and electronic gaming terminals in licensed casinos. A 2023 reform banned slots and new operations involving them, but some casinos continue under old permits or court protection. Morena deputy Pedro Miguel Haces Barba introduced a bill on 15 April that would entrench the slot ban in the federal gaming and lottery law. The draft provides for two to four years in prison, fines, confiscation of machines and closure of premises. The bill is in the Chamber of Deputies.
