SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader has introduced a new bill that proposes the creation of a new regulatory authority that will oversee all gambling and betting activities.
The proposal, sent to the National Congress this week, also places heavy emphasis on tax collection whilst creating a new General Directorate of Gaming (DGJA) under the Ministry of Finance, which will look at registration, control, oversight and licensing.
In a new attempt to regulate the gaming industry, this will cover everything from sports betting and casinos to online betting, slot machines, raffles and electronic lotteries.
It was only last year that the country issued Resolution 136-2024 which saw a new regulatory regime for online casino and sports betting.
Online gambling in the Dominican Republic was first regulated in 2006, with the first licence issued in 2011 to Amaya – a company that later became The Stars Group in 2017 before being acquired by Flutter Entertainment in 2019.
The adoption of Resolution 136-2024 then signalled a shift toward a more structured and enforceable regulatory regime for online gambling in the country.
New fees
The latest bill states that to operate, sports clubs must pay more than 794,000 Dominican pesos (£9,915), along with an annual tax of roughly 386,000 pesos (£4,820) in urban areas, plus an additional 1% on gross sales.
Online gambling platforms will be taxed either 10% of their income or a fixed monthly fee of five million pesos (£62,434), during the interim period while a dedicated technology system is developed for more precise oversight.
Finally, casino fees will vary depending on the number of gaming tables and slot machines, with charges ranging from 14,000 pesos (£175) to 85,000 pesos (£1,061) per device or per table.
Under the new law, each licence issued will be valid for five years and for the first three years is non-transferable.
The bill does not include public policies which are aimed at preventing problem gambling or specific methods to protect players who are at risk. However, it does confirm that the DGJA will be responsible for blocking illegal sites, suspending licenses, and supervising real-time betting systems.
It also proposes exclusion zones for sports betting (such as preventing them from being set up near schools) and requires electronic lottery operators to pay taxes of up to 24% of their sales.
Earlier this year, the General Directorate of Internal Revenue (DGII) imposed a tax increase on the gaming and betting sector – setting an inflation adjustment for the sector which reached almost 100%.
Lottery banks now pay 62,000 pesos (£774) annually (previously 35,000 pesos – £347 – per year).
