The Poder Ejecutivo de la República Dominicana has officially initiated a sweeping National Plan for Regularization aimed at the formalization of the nation’s gambling sector.
The National Plan is a direct response to a massive backlog of pending license requests that accumulated following the expiration of the 2022 deadlines set by the former Ministry of Finance.
Multidimensional Institutional Design
The relaunch of the plan signifies a total transformation of the institutional structure governing Dominican lottery stores, betting shops, and casinos.
The Dirección General de Impuestos Internos (DGII) has been positioned as the central body for this process, with a primary focus on fiscal verification. The objective is to bring all active operators into the formal tax system, ensuring that state revenues from gaming are accurately tracked and collected.
A reorganized Multistakeholder Council has been created to oversee the initiative, involving a diverse range of state and private entities:
- State Agencies: Indotel (Telecom), Ogtic (ICT), and the Lotería Nacional.
- Private Sector: Fenabanca, the Association of Sports Betting Shops, and the Casino Association.
- Ethical Oversight: Religious organizations are represented by Archbishop Carlos Tomás Morel Diplán.
Leadership and Regulatory Frameworks
Teófilo Tabar, the administrator of the Lotería Nacional, has been appointed as the temporary coordinator. Tabar reportedly accepted the role with great “firmness,” pledging to convene the Council immediately to adjust the regulatory frameworks needed for legalization.
This plan, enacted via a decree that came into force on March 26, 2026, effectively annuls previous regulations established under Decree 295-22.By involving technology and tax agencies like Indotel and DGII, the Dominican government is pursuing a “comprehensive and multidimensional” approach to governance, signaling a new era of transparency and strict fiscal control for the region’s gaming industry.
