DR promotes gaming formalization with Decree 197-26
The Executive Branch of the Dominican Republic has taken a decisive step to organize the complex betting ecosystem in the country. Through the recent promulgation of decree 197-26, the government reactivated the National Regularization Plan aimed at lottery banks, sports betting agencies, and other operators that still remain outside the legal framework. This measure is not just an administrative procedure, but a direct response to the accumulation of applications that were left in limbo after the expiration of the deadlines originally granted in 2022, seeking to finally integrate thousands of businesses into the formal and transparent economy.
The big news of this renewed scheme is the prominent role acquired by the General Directorate of Internal Taxes (DGII). Unlike previous processes, the tax authority will play a central role in verifying the tax compliance of operators, managing their provisional incorporation into the tax system, and supporting fiscalization processes. This close monitoring aims to ensure that gaming activity is not only legal from an operational point of view but also contributes fairly to the public treasury through constant monitoring of its tax obligations.
A Consultative Council with multi-sectoral representation
The new institutional design contemplates the reorganization of the Consultative Council, a collegiate body that will supervise the progress of the plan and adjust regulatory frameworks as necessary. In a display of transversality, the monitoring table will be made up of a mix of public, technical, and private actors:
- The Ministry of Finance and Economy together with the DGII.
- Technological entities such as the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel) and the Government Office of Information and Communication Technologies (Ogtic).
- The National Lottery and representatives of the main associations in the sector, including Fenabanca, the Association of Sports Betting Banks, the Association of Casinos, and the National Equestrian Commission.
- In a particular nuance of Dominican institutional culture, the council will also include the participation of coadjutor archbishop Carlos Tomás Morel Diplán, providing a vision of social balance to the process.
Leadership and modernization of the institutional scheme
The general coordination of this plan has temporarily fallen to Teófilo Tabar, administrator of the National Lottery, who has expressed his commitment to execute the process with firmness. By repealing the previous regulations (decree 295-22), the Dominican government leaves behind a structure that proved insufficient to make way for a scheme that more organically integrates technological and financial control bodies.
With the incorporation of Indotel and Ogtic into the decision-making core, the Dominican Republic seeks to modernize gaming supervision, applying digital tools that allow for more precise identification and regularization of points of sale. Administrator Tabar plans to convene the members of the Council in the coming days to outline the immediate roadmap, emphasizing that formalization is the only way to guarantee legal certainty for both investors and bettors in the country.
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