Dominican sportsbooks question gambling law
The debate surrounding the new gambling law in the Dominican Republic added a new chapter after the main sports betting associations questioned the content of the bill approved by the Chamber of Deputies. The National Association of Sports Betting Shops and the Dominican Association of Sports Betting Shops expressed their support for the creation of the future General Directorate of Gambling, but argued that the initiative was modified during its legislative process and that, in its current wording, it could favor an uncontrolled expansion of the sector, with effects on competition, legal certainty, and state revenue.
The entities focus their criticism on the growth of horse racing agencies, originally created by a 1943 law to market bets on horse races. According to Ricardo Nadal, president of the National Association of Sports Betting Shops, until 2019 there were only 166 such agencies throughout the country, but after a decree issued that same year, a rapid expansion began, which reportedly increased the number to about 70,000 operating points. The leader stated that many of these agencies now offer sports betting, virtual games, and other modalities, and warned that they are being installed near schools, hospitals, and sports betting shops, without respecting the distance criteria provided in the legislation, with the possibility of exceeding 150,000 authorized points if the project is approved without changes.
Another of the criticisms points to the role of the National Horse Racing Commission, which the associations accuse of issuing licenses for these types of establishments despite the fact that, according to their interpretation, this attribution corresponds exclusively to the Ministry of Finance. In this context, they argue that the commission would have authorized tens of thousands of permits that are then used to operate different gaming modalities. Nadal compared this situation with the development of sports betting shops, which according to association data have 1,849 establishments after more than four decades of activity, and estimated that there are around 150,000 lottery shops, of which only about 30,000 would operate with legal authorization.
The associations also expressed their concern about the modifications introduced during the parliamentary process, since, according to Nadal, the sector participated for years in working groups to reach a consensus on regulations that would order the industry, but the approved text differs from the versions originally discussed, with attempts to eliminate the minimum distance of 500 meters between establishments, which was finally maintained. In this context, both entities requested President Luis Abinader and the Senate commission in charge of reviewing the initiative to introduce changes before its final approval. The project, approved with modifications by the Deputies and returned to the Senate, creates the General Directorate of Gambling, establishes a ten-year licensing regime for land-based and online operators, incorporates new rules for the location of establishments, and provides for administrative and criminal sanctions to combat illegal operation and strengthen market oversight.
Tags: Asonabade, Adobad, Directorate General of Games of Chance, Ricardo Nadal