The Dominican Republic's General Directorate of Gambling (DGJA) has begun operations with measures restricting new gambling outlets and requiring operators to disclose irregular establishments within 30 calendar days.
The newly established regulator issued Resolutions 01-2026 and 02-2026 on October 13. The first bars the opening of new lottery betting shops, agencies and points of sale, as well as the installation of lottery sales machines in locations prohibited by law. Businesses operating in breach of the rules have been asked to close voluntarily.
The DGJA said sanctions could also extend to an offending operator's other establishments, linked businesses and lottery draws where the law permits. It is setting up a system to receive complaints about unpaid prizes, fraudulent practices and unlicensed premises.
Investigations may begin on the regulator's own initiative or after a documented complaint, without a prior on-site inspection.
The second resolution gives operators 30 calendar days to report outlets installed outside the permitted period of the national regularization program. They may also disclose premises offering more than one form of gambling where separate licenses or permits are required.
A declaration alone does not grant an outlet legal status or automatic regularization.
The agency will provisionally share records on lottery shops, sports betting outlets and other operators with the General Directorate of Internal Revenue for tax purposes. A technical group will address disputes arising from the regularization process.
These measures follow Law 86-26, published on October 2, which created a consolidated gambling regulator covering land-based and online activities. Previously, regulatory duties sat with the Directorate of Casinos and Gambling within the Ministry of Finance and Economy.
The Government revived the national regularization program in April after a backlog of applications from lottery and betting outlets. The tax authority was given a larger role in checking operator compliance and provisionally bringing regularized premises into the tax system. The new disclosure window is another step in resolving those outstanding cases.
Earlier this month, Tabar Manzur's appointment to lead the new regulator followed the enactment of Law 86-26 and set the leadership for its operational launch.
The DGJA will share premises with the National Lottery in Santo Domingo during its transition
