ADOBAD asks Dominican Senate to halt gambling bill
The Dominican Association of Sports Betting Shops (ADOBAD) intensified its rejection of the bill seeking to regulate gambling in the Dominican Republic, which is currently undergoing its legislative process in the Senate. The entity, representing over 90% of the country's sports betting shop owners, publicly requested that senators not proceed to the second reading of the text without first opening a formal dialogue with the sector.
According to ADOBAD, the association repeatedly sent requests for meetings with the President of the Senate and the Finance Committee to present its technical observations on the bill, but none of these efforts received a response. The entity also submitted a technical report with its objections to the text promoted by the Executive Branch, although it maintained that none of its proposals were incorporated into the review process. "None of our observations have been taken into account," the organization stated in its public declaration.
ADOBAD's criticisms point out that the bill, as drafted, does not solve the structural problems of the Dominican betting market but rather deepens them. The association warned that the contemplated provisions would favor the expansion of electronic games and virtual betting over traditional sports betting shops, hindering the viability of the latter. "It would seem that there is an interest in the disappearance of professional sports betting shops, as it creates rules that promote the consolidation of the chaos currently prevailing in the market," the entity noted.
In concrete terms, ADOBAD warned of three direct consequences that the approval of the text without modifications would entail: the loss of thousands of jobs in the sector, a reduction in tax revenue from authorized betting shops, and an increase in unregulated gambling as a result of the closure or unviability of formal operators. "We still have time to amend this very serious blunder. We reiterate our request to the senators and ask them not to approve the bill in its second reading," the association urged.
The bill in question was presented by the Vice President of the Senate, Pedro Catrain, and Senator Félix Ramón Bautista Rosario, and was approved in its first reading. The text seeks to establish a comprehensive framework for the authorization, oversight, and supervision of casinos, lottery shops, sports betting shops, and online platforms, in addition to introducing mechanisms against minor participation and new advertising rules. The process is part of the National Regularization Plan activated by Decree 197-26, which also contemplates the possibility that the National Lottery assumes leadership of the entire gaming industry in the country. For Latin America, the Dominican case illustrates the recurring tension between governments seeking to regulate informal markets and established operators who fear being excluded from new regulatory frameworks.
Tags: Dominican Republic, ADOBAD, Dominican gambling regulation, Dominican Republic sportsbooks, Gambling bill, Senate of the Dominican Republic