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The Dominican Republic’s gambling-reform bill has been sent to President Luis Abinader after the Senate approved amendments made by the Chamber of Deputies, completing its passage through Congress.
The Senate approved the modified text in a single reading on 16 September. The measure, sponsored by senators Félix Bautista and Pedro Catrain, will now move to the executive branch, where Abinader can promulgate it or return it to Congress with observations.
The vote follows the Chamber of Deputies’ approval in July, when lawmakers changed the text previously passed by the Senate. The bill therefore had to return to the upper house for the amendments to be reconciled before it could reach the president.
If promulgated, the legislation would consolidate the Dominican Republic’s gambling and betting rules into a single framework and establish the Dirección General de Juegos de Azar (DGJA) as the sector’s specialist regulator. The DGJA would oversee casinos, lottery outlets, sports betting shops, bingo, gaming machines and online gambling, replacing a fragmented regime whose principal statutory reference point is Law No. 351 of 1964.
The most significant market access provision is a 10 year freeze on new gambling licences once an official register of licensees is published. Casinos located in hotels and tourist destinations would remain exempt and could continue seeking authorisations. The stated aim is to allow authorities to audit and regularise the existing market before permitting further expansion.
The bill would also create a National Self-Exclusion Register, establish location restrictions for gambling venues, and introduce specific requirements for online gambling. Operators would be required to obtain a licence, operate under a Dominican .do domain and pay a reported 10% monthly levy on operations. The DGJA would be able to seek the blocking of unauthorised websites and suspend transactions linked to illegal operators.
Sanctions would include fines of up to 400 minimum wages, closure orders, licence revocation, disqualification of partners and administrators, and prison terms of up to 10 years for certain offences. Ten percent of gambling-sector fines would be allocated to programmes for the prevention and treatment of gambling addiction.
Industry groups have raised concerns over specific provisions of the legislation while supporting the broader move towards regulation.
The Asociación Dominicana de Bancas Deportivas (ADOBAD), which represents sports betting shop operators, has warned that some measures could affect employment and favour electronic and online gambling. FENABANCA, the federation representing lottery betting shops, has called for changes to provisions covering distance requirements, administrative fees and representation on the proposed regulator’s governing board.
The bill does not enter into force as a result of the Senate vote alone. Its immediate future now depends on the executive process and whether Abinader promulgates the measure or returns it with observations.
