Mexico Licenses SMS Mobile Sports Betting Bookmaker and Lotto Provider

Punter can now finally enjoy the ability to bet on sports in Mexico even through a cheap mobile phone for a couple of pesos. The Mexican government agreed to provide a special gaming license to IMSC, a Mobile SMS provider out of Barcelona, Spain for third world countries.

The company’s co-founder, president and CEO James Sene, himself an immigrant from Senegal, decided to bring the same gambling and wagering options that he found in Europe to countries whose citizens are too poor to own an internet ready mobile phone.

Mexican gambling laws do not specifically permit or deny mobile bookmaking services.

The company’s software platform provides a simple and accessible method to place a variety of SMS micro-bets on sports, lotteries and social entertainment. IMSC business model uses a C2C approach by matching punters with each other on every bet. ISMC earns money from a commission on every bet.

IMSC states that it acquired a The Federal Mexican Gaming Permit, which according to online gambling news in Mexico allowed for the development of, and to operate, conduct and take, certain online bets and online casino gaming activities in Mexico.

Since residents of underdeveloped countries rarely have bank accounts or credit cards, the company devised a novel way to collect and pay out customers. In Mexico, the company has a number of kiosks which sell cards similar to mobile cards for refilling credit or card for making long distance calls.

The punter would need to purchase a card, enter its code via an SMS message, and can automatically place bets using a special format to indicate games and amounts. If the punter wins, he can go back to a kiosk and receive his money based on a code sent back through an SMS, or can go to a local bank affiliated with IMSC.

IMSC CEO James Sene explains the situation – “Mexico was always a priority market from the word go. 63 million adult owned mobile phones, the betting culture is also highly present and visible, and Mexico is a football crazy nation. They are the perfect ingredients for an IMSC success story!”