Dominican Republic Gambling Bill Returns to the Senate After Amendments
The Dominican Republic’s Chamber of Deputies has approved a new version of the legislation to regulate gambling in the country, which has undergone a series of amendments and is now being sent to the Senate. The proposal, which was sponsored by Senators Pedro Catrain and Félix Bautista, was earlier approved by the upper house.
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Lawmakers changed the original wording in the bill, which will require another pass through the Senate before it becomes law. The law aims to create a comprehensive legal framework covering all aspects of gambling and betting in the Dominican Republic.
Its main goals are to manage the licensing, monitoring, and supervision of gambling operators, and to enhance the revenue collection of taxes and fees from the gambling sector.
Comprehensive Framework for Land-Based and Online Gambling
All persons or bodies carrying on, managing or conducting gambling or betting activities in physical premises or electronically, online, virtual and interactive platforms would be covered by the proposed law. It would also apply to businesses providing technological, logistics, manufacturing or other services directly related to the gambling business.
Concurrently, the laws do not cover recreational activities or games that are not connected to the distribution of monetary or economic benefits to organizers or players or are not economically valuable.
It also sets out the rights and responsibilities of operators, lays the groundwork for a formal licensing framework for gambling operators and provides measures to combat fraud and money laundering throughout the gambling industry.
Licensing Freeze and New Location Restrictions
Among the most significant features of the proposal is a 10-year licensing extension after the official register of gambling venue operators is published to prevent new venues from opening. Among the most striking elements of the proposal is a 10-year licensing freeze for new venues after the official register of gambling venue operators is published. The rule would not cover casinos located in hotels and/or tourist sites.
The legislation also makes tougher location requirements for gambling establishments. The proposal will also mean that no gambling establishment will be allowed to be located within 500 meters of a linear distance from schools, universities, disability support centers, health care institutions, and the headquarters of the country’s branches of government.
Also, sports betting establishments would have to distance themselves from each other by at least 500 metres, reducing the clustering of betting venues.
Proposal Seeks to Modernize Gambling Regulation
The bill’s explanatory memorandum states that the Dominican Republic’s gambling law needs to be updated to meet the realities of the gambling industry. The proposal aims to streamline the existing legal framework, as it is spread across several laws, decrees and regulatory resolutions, into a single one that would facilitate the efficient supervision and control of the sector by the state.
In addition to the regulation strengthening, legislators plan to increase clarity for operators, expand consumer protection, and make the rules clearer for land-based and online gambling.
Now the bill will be returned to the Senate, where the deputies will consider the amendments that they presented, and decide whether it can proceed to the final passage.
Source: SBC Noticias
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