Gaming prices up, Treasury targets cruise ship casino licenses
While the gambling industry drives inflation in the service sector with a 1.20% increase, the government seeks to level the regulatory playing field by requiring permits for tourist ships to prevent money laundering.
The gaming industry in the Dominican Republic has demonstrated commercial robustness that contrasts with the rest of the tourism ecosystem. According to the latest data from the National Statistics Office (ONE), the gambling and betting sector was one of the main contributors to the increase in the Producer Price Index (PPI) during 2025.
The report reveals that, while air transport and travel agencies had to lower their rates (with decreases of 4.84% and 4.16% respectively) to maintain competitiveness, gaming operators managed to increase their prices by 1.20% annually. Along with the accommodation sector, which rose by 6.13%, gambling consolidated itself as one of the drivers that pushed the overall services index up by 2.47%. This suggests that demand for entertainment in Dominican casinos remains inelastic despite cost adjustments.
End of the floating tax haven: Licenses for cruises in 2026
This economic dynamism has not gone unnoticed by the regulator. In a move designed to close fiscal and security gaps, the Ministry of Finance and Economy has set its sights on the growing cruise market. With a record arrival of nearly 3 million visitors by sea in 2025, authorities have decided to intervene in the operation of onboard cruise casinos.
The new draft resolution, which is already in the public consultation phase, proposes a drastic change: first-class cruises that remain at least six hours in Dominican jurisdictional waters must obtain a specific license to operate their gaming rooms.
Equal conditions and money laundering prevention
The measure aims to address a long-standing demand from the land-based industry. Until now, hotel casinos in Punta Cana or Santo Domingo competed at a regulatory disadvantage compared to ships, which operated under more lenient international regulations while docked.
The official document is emphatic in stating that these floating venues "can be used as instruments for money laundering and terrorist financing." Therefore, the new regulation will require shipping companies to meet the same compliance standards that govern physical land-based casinos. If the resolution is approved, the Dominican Republic would take a key step to safeguard its financial system, leveraging the boom in nautical tourism to formalize a source of income that until now remained in a gray area.
Tags: Dominican Republic, Republica Dominicana casinos, Dominican Republic cruise casinos