The Executive Power of the Dominican Republic signed decree 197-26, with which it reactivates the National Plan for the Regularization of lottery banks, sports betting, and other gambling operators. The measure seeks to resume and accelerate a sector formalization process that had been left unfinished after the deadlines established by the then Ministry of Finance in 2022 expired.
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The Presidency explained that the initiative responds to the high volume of regularization requests that remained pending resolution, and that the new decree expressly repeals the previous regulation, decree 295-22, to make way for a renewed institutional structure.
What changes with decree 197-26 and why the plan was reactivated
The decision of the Dominican government is not a minor adjustment: it implies dismantling the previous scheme and building a new one with different actors and more defined attributions. The context that motivated the change is clear: the gaming sector in the Dominican Republic accumulates operators who did not complete their regularization process within the original deadlines, which generates fiscal informality and difficulties for market supervision.
The new regulatory framework seeks to correct these failures by establishing concrete responsibilities for each participating body and enabling mechanisms for provisional incorporation into the tax regime while definitive regularization progresses.
The central role of the DGII in sector supervision
One of the most significant changes in decree 197-26 is the prominence assumed by the General Directorate of Internal Taxes (DGII). This entity will be responsible for verifying the tax compliance of operators, managing their provisional incorporation into the tax regime, and supporting inspection processes.
This decision reflects a clear orientation of the Dominican government: the regularization of gambling is not only a matter of administrative order but also an opportunity to expand the tax base and improve control over a sector that generates significant income.
How the new Consultative Council is integrated
The decree also contemplates the reorganization of the Consultative Council responsible for monitoring the plan. This body will bring together representatives from multiple public and private institutions: the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the DGII, the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel), the Government Office of Information and Communication Technologies (Ogtic), and the National Lottery.
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On the private side, delegates from Fenabanca, the Sports Betting Banks Association, the National Horseracing Commission, and the Casinos Association will participate. The decree also includes coadjutor archbishop Carlos Tomás Morel Diplán as a member of the Council, which reflects the social and historical weight that the Catholic Church has in the institutional life of the country.
The Ministry of Finance and Economy, together with the Council, will be responsible for designing and adjusting the necessary regulatory frameworks to ensure the continuity of the process.
Who will coordinate the plan and what are the next steps
On a transitional basis, the administrator of the National Lottery, Teófilo Tabar, will assume the general coordination of the plan. According to local media reports, Tabar firmly accepted the responsibility and anticipated that in the coming days he will convene the members of the Consultative Council to formally initiate the implementation.
He also highlighted the incorporation and strengthening of key bodies such as the DGII, Indotel, and Ogtic within the new regulatory framework, noting that their active participation is fundamental to ensuring the effectiveness of the process.
A sector seeking order in an expanding market
The reactivation of the plan comes at a time when the betting market in Latin America and the Caribbean is experiencing sustained growth, driven mainly by the expansion of online gaming platforms. For the Dominican Republic, advancing in regularization not only implies ordering the sector but also positioning itself with clear rules in front of international operators seeking to expand in the region.
Decree 197-26 is, in that sense, a sign that the Dominican government is betting on formalization as a public policy tool, although the effectiveness of the plan will largely depend on the institutional capacity to implement it within the foreseen deadlines.
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