Dominican Republic advances sweeping gambling law reform with licence moratorium and new regulator

The Dominican Republic is moving closer to a comprehensive revision of its gambling legislation, with a bill now under Senate review that would impose a 10-year freeze on new gambling licences, create an independent oversight body, and introduce stiffer penalties for unlicensed operators. The only carve-out would allow casinos attached to new hotel developments to still obtain permits.

The proposed law establishes the General Directorate of Gambling (DGJA), an autonomous authority tasked with regulating, supervising, and sanctioning all gambling activities nationwide. This replaces the current fragmented oversight structure.

Penalties for illegal gambling would be significantly strengthened. Operating without a licence could bring prison sentences of one to two years, while aggravated offences – such as using shell companies or hiding large profits – would carry sentences of up to 10 years.

For the online sector, the bill introduces a 10% tax on gross sales and grants regulators the power to block domains and IP addresses of unauthorised operators. A centralised Single Registry System would consolidate betting data and reinforce anti-money laundering efforts.

Physical gambling venues would face new location restrictions: betting shops must be at least 500 metres from schools, hospitals, and churches, while lottery outlets would be subject to a 200-metre minimum distance. Slot machines would be required to return at least 85% of stakes to players.

The bill was approved by the Chamber of Deputies but was later sent back to the Senate for further review before final enactment.