Dominican President Luis Abinader has filled the three presidential seats on the country's Council of Games of Chance. Julio César Castaños Guzmán, José Julio Antonio de la Altagracia Cross Frías and José Delio Ares Guzmán were appointed under Decree 810-26, according to the Presidency's November 11 announcement.
Law 86-26 reserves three council positions for people chosen by the President. The Council is the rulemaking and supervisory authority for the General Directorate of Gambling (DGJA), which was created under the law. The Presidency did not assign separate portfolios to the three appointees in its announcement.
The appointments put the supervisory body in place during a wider transition in the Dominican Republic's gambling administration. Law 86-26 was published in the official gazette on October 2, following its passage through Congress. It brings casino, lottery, betting shop and online gambling activities within a consolidated regulatory framework.
The DGJA is an autonomous, decentralized institution attached to the Ministry of Finance and Economy.
At the October swearing-in of its transitional Director General, the Ministry described the new agency's work as regulating and supervising gambling activity, including authorizations and compliance checks. It also identified the protection of minors and action against fraud, money laundering and gambling addiction among its priorities.
The new structure changes how the directorate is governed. Rules and supervisory direction sit with the Council, while the DGJA carries out the operational regulatory work. That division makes the composition of the Council relevant to operators seeking clarity on licences, inspections and the implementation of the new law.
The Council is distinct from the advisory body established in 2021. Decree 684-26 retained that earlier group in an honorary role, advising the DGJA on policy and internal procedures. The newly appointed members occupy seats on the statutory Council created by Law 86-26, which has a formal rulemaking and supervisory function.
The Presidency's notice did not specify when the Council would first meet or announce its initial decisions.
In October, the transitional appointment of Tabar Manzur put a Director General in place as the new law introduced 10-year internet gambling licenses and a tax on licensed online activity.
At his October swearing-in, Tabar Manzur was also National Lottery administrator and coordinator of the gambling shop regularization process
