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Yamile Gutiérrez, a Dominican lawyer specializing in the regulation of the gaming sector, has given a thorough analysis of the proposed Gambling Law currently in the Dominican Republic’s Senate. While acknowledging the initiative as a positive step toward modernizing and organizing the country’s gaming industry, she explains that the bill requires several changes to be efficient and feasible.
A Step Toward Modernization
Gutiérrez explained that the bill represents an important step towards consolidating the country’s disparate legal framework. By bringing together regulations, the legislation seeks to provide greater legal certainty to the state, operators, and consumers. One of its most notable innovations is the creation of the General Directorate of Gambling (DGJA), an independent regulatory body with the authority to oversee, supervise, and sanction operators.
The bill also includes modern technological provisions for the registration of operators, management of licenses, and promotion of responsible gaming. The mechanisms are designed to provide greater transparency and protect the players. Gutiérrez noted, however, that while it is positive that responsible gaming provisions are included, the current proposal can be improved by adding betting limits, risk alerts, and coordination with other government agencies, such as the Ministry of Public Health, to address problem gambling more effectively.
Recommended Changes
Despite its merits, the bill has raised red flags among industry stakeholders. Gutiérrez cited the lack of consensus with major sectors such as sport betting operators and casinos that could affect the acceptability and long-term enforceability of the law.
Among her major recommendations is one regarding taxation. She recommends a Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR)-based taxation model that is commonly used by other countries that are considered benchmarks for regulation. This, she feels, would avoid double taxation, encourage formalization, and drive technological investment.
She further highlights the need for a tax regime that allows for efficient state revenue realization without compromising the economic viability of licensed operators, as the operators are key to employment generation, tax compliance, and capital investment in the country.
Implementation Challenges
The creation of the DGJA, while promising, also ushers in operational problems. Gutiérrez warns that in its initial period, the new regulatory body might not have the human, technological, and financial capital to apply the law to its maximum potential. Understaffed and underfunded, the regulation might be minimal, diluting the impact of the law.
She also identified loopholes in the bill, such as unclear specifications on the technical council membership of the DGJA, overly strict conditions for license renewal, and the removal of a mandatory minimum distance requirement among operators, a safeguard present in the current law. The latter, she stated, must be maintained to prevent undue market concentration and protect community interests.
The Need for Dialogue
For Gutiérrez, the bill is a sound foundation for formalizing and consolidating the Dominican Republic’s gaming industry. But she insists that its success will depend on an open discussion between lawmakers, regulators, and all operators in the industry before it is approved. “Only with balanced, equitable, and sustainable implementation can the law bring tangible benefits to the state, operators, and players“, she says.
The legislation, introduced in June 2025 by President Luis Abinader, is under review in the National Congress. The Senate referred the proposal to a special commission for analysis, where a report will be presented for debate afterward.
Well-calibrated and rolled out, the new Gambling Law can remodel the Dominican Republic’s gaming sector, delivering greater transparency, modernized regulation, and better consumer protections, with a framework that promotes investment and responsible gaming. Yet as Gutiérrez’s analysis also makes clear, reaching this balance will require both technical adjustment and consensus-building among all the stakeholders.
Source: YogoNet
