Dominican regulator DGJA sets interim rules for selling, moving and closing lottery and betting shops

The Dominican Republic's gambling regulator has set interim rules for selling, renaming, moving and closing licensed lottery shops, sports betting shops and bingos.

Resolution No. 03-2026, signed by Director General Teófilo "Quico" Tabar on November 10, 2026, was posted on the website of the Dirección General de Juegos de Azar (DGJA) the same day. The DGJA was created by Law No. 86-26, which regulates gambling in the country. The resolution relies on Article 185 of that law, which sets a transition period for the new agency. It follows Resolution No. 01-2026 of October 13, which started the agency's operations.

Ownership changes

Applicants do not have to resubmit documents the DGJA already holds, as long as they are still valid. A buyer must submit its latest shareholder list and identify its beneficial owners under Law No. 155-17 on money laundering. Where a shareholder holding 20% or more is itself a company, its corporate documents must be filed until the natural person with final control is identified. The sale contract must be notarised, registered with the municipal civil registry and legalised by the Attorney General's office. The buyer must also provide a criminal record certificate, a tax compliance certificate from the tax agency DGII, and a notarised sworn statement on the lawful origin of the funds showing where they came from and how they reached the buyer. A separate route covers transfers to an heir after the owner's death.

Moves and closures

A relocation request includes an inspection of the new premises. However, the resolution says requests will be processed without a prior inspection, with checks carried out afterwards. If those checks find the information does not match reality, the approval "may be declared invalid." Under the requirements previously published by the former Dirección de Casinos y Juegos de Azar, a sports betting shop could only apply to move after obtaining that office's written confirmation that the new premises met the legal requirements. A shop may not open at its new address until the move is approved, and no move will be allowed to a place where the law bars that type of establishment. Slot machines registered to a sports betting shop can be moved or scrapped in the same application.

To close a lottery shop permanently, the owner must hand in the original operating permit, or a police report if it was lost. The DGJA will notify the DGII, and the closure takes effect on the date set in the approval.

If an application is incomplete, the DGJA will list everything that is missing once, in writing, and give the applicant 10 business days to fix it. After that, the application is treated as withdrawn. The resolution does not create or change any fees. Until new fees are set under Article 188 of Law No. 86-26, the existing relocation and inspection fees apply. The rules replace the requirements in Ministry of Finance resolutions issued in 2018 and 2022 for as long as the transition lasts.

Earlier DGJA measures on unregistered lottery shops are covered in AskSpinner's October 25 market update, and labour inspections of betting shops in this report.