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Dominican Republic Approves Responsible Gambling Charter

Dominican Republic Approves Responsible Gambling Charter – Central Self-Exclusion System to Become Mandatory Safeguard

Key Takeaways

• The Dominican Republic has authorised Resolution No. 184-2026 to introduce a Responsible Gambling Charter.
• The charter includes the creation of a National Self-Exclusion System covering land-based and online gambling.
• Operators will be required to implement deposit limits, session controls, alerts and cooling-off mechanisms.
• The Directorate of Casinos and Games of Chance will oversee compliance across all licensed gambling verticals.
• The reform builds on the 2024 online gambling licensing regime established under Resolution 136-2024.

Resolution 184-2026 Introduces a National Responsible Gambling Framework

The Ministry of Finance and Economy of the Dominican Republic has authorised Resolution No. 184-2026, paving the way for a new Responsible Gambling Charter. The mandate now requires the signature of President Luis Abinader.

The charter is designed to tighten control over gambling licences and formalise player protection measures across the country. A central element is the establishment of a Central Self-Exclusion System, described as a universal protection mechanism for gambling consumers. According to the official framework, the Dominican Republic aims to become the first Caribbean nation to implement such a system on a national scale.

The initiative forms part of a broader effort by the Abinader administration to modernise the country’s gambling regime. Following his re-election in 2024, President Abinader pledged to overhaul the sector as part of wider economic reforms intended to enhance investment conditions and strengthen government tax resources.

National Self-Exclusion System to Cover All Licensed Operators

At the core of the new charter is the creation of a National Self-Exclusion System. This system will allow individuals to voluntarily exclude themselves from participating in gambling activities offered by licensed operators.

Once registered, individuals must be denied access to both land-based venues and online platforms. The obligation to enforce these exclusions will apply to casinos, sportsbooks, lottery outlets, slot halls, online gaming platforms and horse-race betting operations.

For users of regulated gambling services, this means that self-exclusion will no longer depend solely on individual operators. Instead, exclusion will be centralised and binding across the licensed market.

The Directorate of Casinos and Games of Chance has been tasked with supervising the implementation and enforcement of these requirements. The authority will monitor compliance across all gambling verticals covered by the national framework.

Mandatory Player Protection Tools for Operators

Under Resolution 184-2026, gambling operators must introduce a range of mandatory responsible gambling tools.

These include deposit and spending limits, session time restrictions, automatic alerts and mandatory cooling-off breaks. Operators must also provide self-exclusion services directly within their platforms and venues.

In addition, licence holders are required to maintain and update player data related to gaming activities. This obligation supports both enforcement and monitoring under the new regulatory regime.

The resolution also strengthens safeguards against underage gambling. Operators must implement enhanced age-verification checks and introduce parental control tools where applicable. Advertising aimed at minors will be prohibited under the updated framework.

For licensed businesses, these measures add compliance requirements that extend beyond licensing fees and taxation. For users, the rules formalise access to standardised protective tools across the regulated market.

Connection to the 2024 Online Gambling Licensing Reform

The new charter builds on the country’s earlier regulatory changes introduced in 2024 under Resolution 136-2024. That reform established a formal online gambling licensing regime for the first time in the Dominican Republic.

The 2024 framework introduced five-year licences, new tax and compliance obligations, responsible gambling controls and local operational requirements. It also assigned the Minister of Finance responsibility for updating regulatory articles and implementing new commands to ensure that online gambling would operate as a supervised and taxed business activity.

The regulatory structure brings together the Ministry of Finance, the National Lottery and the General Directorate of Internal Taxes. The objective is to strengthen oversight, improve tax collection and integrate gambling operators more firmly into the national fiscal regime.

With Resolution 184-2026, the regulatory focus shifts more directly toward consumer protection. Authorities are expected to accelerate the rollout and enforcement of the broader online gambling licensing regime, including formal approvals related to anti-money laundering controls, criminal background checks and specific licensing conditions.

Impact on Licensed Casinos, Sportsbooks and Online Platforms

The updated rules apply across the full spectrum of licensed gambling operations in the Dominican Republic. This includes land-based casinos, retail sportsbooks, lottery outlets, slot halls, horse-race betting operations and online casinos and sportsbooks.

Operators must align their internal systems with the new requirements, including technical integration with the National Self-Exclusion System. They must also ensure that mandatory limits, alerts and session controls are operational and enforceable.

For users evaluating licensed gambling services in the Dominican Republic, the changes mean that responsible gambling measures will be standardised and centrally supervised. Access to licensed platforms will increasingly depend on compliance with enhanced verification and monitoring procedures.

Our Assessment

Resolution 184-2026 introduces a structured national framework for responsible gambling in the Dominican Republic. By establishing a National Self-Exclusion System and mandating uniform player protection tools, the government expands the scope of oversight beyond licensing and taxation to include enforceable consumer safeguards. The reform complements the 2024 online gambling licensing regime and places compliance, supervision and data collection at the centre of the country’s regulated gambling market.