Hacksaw Games partners with Mexico’s online gaming market leader Caliente.mx
Hacksaw Games is expanding its presence in Latin America, with a new partnership with Caliente.mx, Mexico’s leading online gaming operator.
According to a release on Wednesday, the partnership is “an important step” in its expansion in the region, with Caliente.mx having an estimated 80% of online gaming market share in the country.
Under the agreement, Hacksaw Gaming’s portfolio of slots and instant win titles will be added to Caliente’mx’s online casino offerings, bringing Hacksaw to Mexican players.
Speaking of the agreement, Hacksaw Gaming Operational CEO Marcus Cordes noted, “Signing with Caliente.mx is a major moment for us in Mexico. This is a brand with enormous reach and a position at the very forefront of the country’s online gaming market. We’re excited to get our games live and see where we can take the partnership from here.”
The group notes that its content is set to go live with the Mexican operator “in the near future.”
In mid-July Hacksaw entered Argentina through a partnership with Kaizen Gaming’s sportsbook brand Betano and in October of last year the group partnered with Esportes da Sorte in Brazil.
This comes even as it continues to expand its presence in the United States, with partnerships last year to bring titles to New Jersey, Pennsylvania and more.
In Canada, the group secured its second registration as an ‘iGaming Goods or Services Supplier – Critical Gaming Systems Supplier’ under Alberta’s new regulatory framework.
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Caliente gives Hacksaw a direct route into Mexico’s online casino market
Hacksaw Gaming’s agreement with Caliente.mx is a significant step because it places the supplier with the dominant online gaming operator in one of Latin America’s largest gambling markets. Caliente’s scale gives Hacksaw a faster route to player adoption than a narrower market entry through a smaller operator or aggregator, especially in a country where access can be shaped as much by legacy licensing structures as by consumer demand.
The deal also fits a pattern. Hacksaw has been building its distribution market by market, favoring regulated or locally established operators with meaningful reach. In Mexico, that means Caliente, which the company says controls an estimated 80% of the online gaming market. For a supplier known for high-volatility slots and instant-win games, the partnership offers an immediate test of how its portfolio performs in a market that is large, mobile-heavy and still governed by rules designed before digital gambling became mainstream.
The timing matters. Mexico is already a major online gambling market, but its regulatory model has not evolved as quickly as Brazil, Colombia or Peru. That makes local partnerships especially important for international suppliers seeking scale without taking on the full complexity of direct market access.
A Latin America push built through anchor operators
The Mexico agreement follows Hacksaw’s July move into Argentina through Kaizen Gaming’s Betano brand, a partnership that gave the developer a launch position in Buenos Aires City. That entry was narrowly targeted but strategically useful. Buenos Aires City is among Argentina’s most mature regulated online markets, having authorized operators and suppliers before online platforms began launching in late 2021.
In that case, Hacksaw entered Argentina with Betano as its launch partner for one month, giving the sportsbook access to the supplier’s portfolio of slots and instant-win titles. The arrangement extended an existing relationship between Hacksaw and Kaizen Gaming, which operates across Latin America, Africa and Europe. For Hacksaw, the benefit was not only distribution in Buenos Aires but association with an operator that already understands regional acquisition, payments and player behavior.
Argentina also offered a useful contrast to Mexico. Its gambling regulation is fragmented across provinces and cities, but Buenos Aires City has a developed licensing framework. Mexico, by comparison, has national scale and deep online usage, but its core gambling law dates to 1947 and remains tied to land-based permits. Hacksaw’s sequence suggests it is balancing these conditions: entering more clearly regulated jurisdictions where available, while using major local partners in larger, more complex markets.
Brazil added urgency to the regional race
Hacksaw’s Latin America expansion gained momentum before the Argentina and Mexico deals. In October 2024, the Malta-based developer signed with Esportes da Sorte, giving the Brazilian operator access to titles including RIP City, Stormforged, Wanted Dead or a Wild and Le Pharaoh. The deal came as Brazil was moving toward implementation of a federal regulatory framework for betting and online gaming, raising the value of early supplier relationships with licensed operators.
The partnership with Esportes da Sorte in Brazil was notable because the operator had converted provisional authorization into a permanent license from Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting, allowing nationwide operations. That positioned Hacksaw inside a market expected to become one of the most important regulated jurisdictions globally as formal oversight replaced the earlier gray-market environment.
Brazil’s emergence has increased competitive pressure across Latin America. Suppliers that secure early relationships with compliant operators can gain visibility before markets become more crowded and costly. Mexico’s size makes it a natural next target, but Brazil’s regulatory modernization has set a benchmark that neighboring markets are now measured against. That benchmark is central to the current context: Hacksaw is expanding into Mexico at a moment when the market is attractive but its legal architecture is seen by some industry observers as outdated.
North America supplied the licensing playbook
While the Mexico deal is framed as part of Hacksaw’s Latin America strategy, the company’s recent development has also been shaped by North American licensing. The supplier has approvals or launches across several U.S. states and Canada, giving it experience in highly prescriptive markets where regulatory clearance, testing, reporting and operator compliance are prerequisites for scale.
In July, Hacksaw launched in Pennsylvania through FanDuel after securing a license in the state the previous December. Pennsylvania is one of the most lucrative U.S. iGaming markets, with monthly online casino revenue regularly exceeding $200 million. Launching there through FanDuel gave Hacksaw a route into a large regulated audience while showing it could work within one of the country’s more commercially important state frameworks.
Hacksaw then continued its U.S. push with a New Jersey agreement with betOcean, Ocean Casino Resort’s online casino brand. The betOcean partnership expanded Hacksaw’s New Jersey content offering with games including Wanted Dead or a Wild, Le Bandit and Chaos Crew 2. New Jersey, like Pennsylvania, is a mature online casino state with established operators and a demanding regulatory environment.
Those North American launches matter for Mexico because they demonstrate a broader supplier strategy: win access through established operators, then expand content visibility within regulated or semi-regulated channels. Hacksaw’s Ontario license and its registration under Alberta’s newer regulatory framework also reflect a bet on markets where online casino is increasingly formalized. That experience may help the company navigate Mexico if the country modernizes its own rules.
Mexico’s opportunity comes with regulatory friction
Mexico’s online gaming potential is clear. It has a large population, high internet usage and substantial mobile penetration. A recent industry report argued that the country is already one of Latin America’s biggest gambling markets and has room for further growth, with online gambling accounting for a majority of gross gaming revenue. Mobile gambling is also a major contributor, underscoring why casino content suppliers see Mexico as a priority.
But the same report warned that Mexico risks falling behind more modernized markets unless it updates rules on licensing, technical standards, responsible gambling, payments and enforcement. The analysis, detailed in a story on why Mexico must reform its regulatory regime to keep pace with Latin America, described the country as constrained by laws built around physical venues, permits and local supervision rather than digital platforms.
One of the main complications is the historical link between online operations and land-based permits. Industry participants have said this structure can force international operators and suppliers to work through existing license holders rather than enter under a clear standalone online framework. That dynamic increases the importance of operators such as Caliente, whose market share and established position can provide suppliers with reach that would otherwise be difficult to assemble.
For Hacksaw, the Caliente deal therefore does more than add another logo to its partner list. It places the company in a market where scale is unusually concentrated, digital growth is strong and regulatory reform could reshape competition. If Mexico modernizes, suppliers already embedded with leading operators may be better placed to capture growth. If it does not, partnerships with incumbents will remain the most practical path into the market.
The stakes for suppliers and incumbents
The broader supplier race in Latin America is increasingly about timing. Brazil is formalizing, Argentina offers pockets of mature local regulation and Mexico combines major scale with structural uncertainty. Hacksaw’s recent sequence across Brazil, Argentina and Mexico shows a company trying to secure distribution before market rules, operator rankings and player habits settle further.
For Caliente, adding Hacksaw’s portfolio helps defend its position by expanding casino content at a time when players are becoming more accustomed to global online gaming brands. For Hacksaw, the upside is exposure to a large audience without waiting for a wholesale rewrite of Mexican law. The risk is that Mexico’s regulatory ambiguity could complicate market development, particularly if future reforms alter licensing routes or compliance obligations.
Still, the direction of travel across the region favors more online gambling, more mobile play and more formal oversight. Hacksaw’s latest deal is best understood within that shift. The supplier is not entering Mexico in isolation; it is adding the country to a network of regulated and high-growth markets where local operator strength remains the main bridge between international content and mass-market players.
