The Dominican Republic will be taking steps to tighten its control of its gambling licences, as the Ministry of Finance and Economy has authorised Resolution No. 184-2026.
The mandate seeks to introduce a new “Responsible Gambling Charter” that requires the signature of President Luis Abinader.
The charter will establish a new Central Self-Exclusion System as the principal safeguard for gambling activities in the Dominican Republic, which aims to become the first Caribbean nation to implement such a universal protection on gambling consumers.
Winning his re-election campaign in 2024, President Abinader pledged to modernise the gambling regime of The Dominican Republic as part of his administration’s broader economic overhaul to enhance investment and tax resources of the government.
Economic reforms
The latest reforms build on the Dominican Republic’s launch of a new online gambling licensing regime in 2024, under Resolution 136-2024, which established a formal framework for online casinos and sportsbooks for the first time.
The reforms included five-year licences, new tax and compliance authorisations, responsible gambling controls and local operational requirements.
Of significance, the Minister of Finance was tasked with updating regulatory articles and implementing new commands to ensure that online gambling would become a supervised and taxed business discipline
The initiative brings together the Ministry of Finance, the National Lottery and the General Directorate of Internal Taxes (DGII) to strengthen oversight, improve tax collection and integrate operators more firmly into the fiscal regime.
Universal Protection before licence window
Resolution 184-2026 will now shift the regulatory spotlight directly onto consumer protections and responsible gambling safeguards.
Under the new rules, gambling operators will be required to introduce a series of mandatory player protection tools, including deposit and spending limits, session time restrictions, automatic alerts and mandatory cooling-off breaks.
Operators must also provide self-exclusion services allowing customers to voluntarily block access to gambling platforms and venues.
The framework will be overseen by the Directorate of Casinos and Games of Chance (DCJA), which has been tasked with enforcing compliance across casinos, sportsbooks, lottery outlets, slot halls, online gaming and horse-race betting operations.
Mandatory prevention measures will include deposit and spend limits, automatic alerts, time warnings. Gambling licence holders must up-keep and ensure the collection of player data collection related to gaming activities and
A central component of the framework is the creation of the National Self-Exclusion System, enabling citizens to voluntarily exclude themselves from licensed gambling venues and online platforms. Operators will also be required to deny access to any individual registered within the system.
The resolution additionally introduces tighter safeguards around underage gambling. Operators will be required to implement enhanced age-verification checks and parental control tools, while advertising aimed at minors will be prohibited.
Having formally launched its new gambling framework in 2024, the Abinader administration is expected to accelerate the rollout and enforcement of its new online gambling licensing regime in the coming months, as authorities move to formalise forthcoming approvals on AML, criminal checks and specific licensing conditions.
The Dominican government views the reforms as a key step in modernising the gambling sector as an economic priority sought by President Luis Abinader.
