Legislation
Dominican Republic- Lottery outlets closed for good
By James - 25 October 2022
The administrator of the National Lottery, Teófilo Quico Tabar, reported the closure of lottery outlets that had not accepted the 120 day grace period and registered with the relevant authorities.
In a letter addressed to the National Federation of lottery outlets (FENEBANCA), the official reported that after delivering an updated list of outlets, points of sale and agencies, he had identified those that were still open and had not registered with the government. As a result he indicated that the government would begin the closure process in coordination with the Public Ministry.
The National Lottery has been warning for months that the government would take action. According to information provided by the Public Ministry, the preliminary list of outlets that accepted the regulation process is registered on the web portal www.casinos.gob.do, and is classified by provinces and municipalities.
In August 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. Later in the same month President Luis Abinader ordered a major overhaul of the lottery sector in the Dominican Republic stating that lottery regulation was a matter of national interest. The decision was contained in Decree 63-22, which also gave the Ministry of Finance the responsibility to prepare or put forward any new regulatory measures that might be necessary. The General Directorate of Casinos (DGC) stated that Law 139-11 established a single tax of 35,000 pesos per year for Dominican lottery outlets. The clarification came as a response to FENABANCA’s request, which demanded that the Government “refrain from charging taxes to all owners of Lottery Banks that had registered as part of the regularization process.
In October Teófilo Quico Taba criticised the National Federation of Lottery Banks (FENABANCA), saying that it wanted to “blackmail” the Government. Through a statement, the official warned of future protests saying that demonstrations were a way to avoid paying taxes.
