They support the Dominican gambling law but request adjustments
The bill seeking to provide the Dominican Republic with its first comprehensive framework for gambling has garnered support, albeit with reservations. Attorney José Castillo, specializing in the field, believes the initiative would help organize an activity that for years operated under scattered regulations, though he warned that the text contains errors and provisions that should be modified before implementation.
Castillo explained that the country never had general gambling legislation; instead, the activity was regulated fragmentarily through budget laws, decrees, and resolutions. In his opinion, a specific regulation would allow for clearer controls, streamline the operations of operators, and strengthen the oversight of lotteries and sports betting. The specialist provided figures on the scale of the informal sector: he counted about 30,750 lottery bank permits but estimated that the operational points of sale exceed 100,000, to which approximately 25,000 machines or devices used to sell numbers without authorization would be added, a gap that harms both the state and operators who do comply with their obligations.
In an interview on the program 55 Minutos, hosted by Julissa Céspedes, the lawyer differentiated the operation of sportsbooks from that of horse racing agencies, which are subject to different regulations, and argued that the bill's provisions would not necessarily exacerbate the sector's current problems. Among the points to review, he highlighted the need to create rules to control establishments operating outside the law, ensure tax compliance, and establish mechanisms to protect minors from gambling. He also proposed the creation of a General Directorate of Gambling to centralize and strengthen oversight, and despite his observations, he urged Congress to proceed with approval, with the possibility of correcting provisions later.
One aspect that has gained attention is the special discount regime provided in Article 192, which would allow certain operators to reduce accumulated debts for taxes and fees until December 2025, provided they have completed their regularization and registration. This mechanism would be managed by the future General Directorate of Gambling, in coordination with the Ministry of Finance and Economy and the General Directorate of Internal Taxes.
The bill has already been approved with modifications by the Chamber of Deputies after passing through the Senate, and must now return to the upper house for final review. The initiative, originating from the Executive Branch, aims to replace the fragmented regulatory scheme with a single framework that creates an autonomous regulatory body and organizes both land-based and online gaming. Its progress is being closely monitored because it seeks to close years of legal vacuum in a market with a strong presence of informal operations.
Tags: José Castillo, Dominican Republic gambling bill, General Directorate of Gaming, lottery parlors