Operator News
Dominican Republic – Dominican Republic President orders lottery overhaul
By Phil - 22 February 2022
President Luis Abinader has ordered a major overhaul of the lottery sector in the Dominican Republic stating that lottery regulation is now a matter of national interest. The decision was contained in Decree 63-22, which also gives the Ministry of Finance the responsibility to prepare or put forward any new regulatory measures that might be necessary.
The administrator of the National Lottery, Teófilo Quico Tabar, announced after the decree was published, that he intended to “create an environment of respect and harmony, credibility and transparency, where there is no one outside the law or above the law.” He added that regulation would be his sole objective. “I make myself available to all those who want to go in that direction – hoping not to find obstacles along the way. Because I do not have the time nor the age to distract my attention on another objective that is not the regularization of lottery outlets,” Tabar said.
In addition, the official summoned the directors of the National Federation of Lottery Banks (FENABANCA) for an official meeting at the National Lottery offices.
“The line that we are going to follow is totally different from the one that has been applied for years. We intend to eliminate any unnecessary bureaucratic procedure, create a platform in which all the country’s lotteries are duly incorporated, and accept under oath as good and valid the information they offer us,” he said.
The official also announced that negotiations have already begun with the Attorney General’s Office and other state regulatory bodies “to coordinate actions in a joint and effective manner.”
Earlier this month lottery outlets, which were operating illegally or outside the scope of their operating permits, were given 120 days to comply with new rules issued by the Ministry of Finance. The announcement came after the National Federation of Lottery Shops (FENABANCA) requested the Attorney General’s Office and the Ministry of Finance to carry out an in-depth investigation into a supposed criminal organisation which had infiltrated the lottery network.
At a press conference, FENABANCA made an urgent call to the Attorney General’s Office and the Ministry of Finance to intervene and investigate.
The Federation publicly stated that there was there was an “operating mafia” that was allowing the placement of lottery outlets throughout the Dominican Republic. FENABANCA described the situation as “alarming” and stated that only last year more than six thousand points of sale were created that operate outside of the law. The overhaul of the sector could lead to much wider control over the gambling industry as FENEBANCA is also calling for the creation of a new gambling board and a new gambling bill.
