The Senate of the Dominican Republic approved on September 16, 2026, in a single reading, the amendments introduced by the Chamber of Deputies to the bill that comprehensively restructures gambling regulation, completing the congressional process and sending the legislation to the Executive Branch for promulgation or possible observations.
- Dominican Republic eyes 10-Year freeze on new betting shops
The initiative merges bills 01376, introduced by Félix Ramón Bautista Rosario, and 01402, sponsored by Pedro Manuel Catrain Bonilla, president of the Senate Permanent Finance Committee. The Chamber of Deputies had approved the text under an urgent procedure in two consecutive readings on July 23, 2026, requiring it to return to the Senate because of the amendments adopted.
Claudia Catherin Álvarez Troncoso
The bill contains 195 articles and creates the General Directorate of Gambling (DGJA) as an autonomous and decentralized body with administrative, financial and technical independence to issue licenses, supervise operators, control advertising, sanction illegal activity and oversee both land-based and digital gambling.
The proposal establishes 10-year licenses for casinos, which would be restricted to hotels rated four stars or higher, and sets minimum distances of up to 500 meters from schools, universities, churches, hospitals and other protected areas. Sports betting shops and horse-racing agencies would also require 500 meters of separation, while lottery shops would have to maintain 200 meters.
A transitional provision would suspend new licenses for much of the sector for 10 years once the official registry is published, although casinos linked to hotels and tourist areas would be exempt. The measure seeks to reorganize a market with more than 71,000 registered lottery and betting shops.
The reform also covers online gambling, advertising, self-exclusion, anti-money laundering and protection of minors, while introducing prison terms of up to 10 years for certain illegal operations, manipulation or fraud. The plenary approved the bill, although no verifiable nominal breakdown of votes has yet been published. Until the law is promulgated and implemented, supervision remains with the Directorate of Casinos and Gambling, headed by Claudia Catherine Álvarez Troncoso, under the Ministry of Finance and Economy led by Magín Díaz.
