Operating in the Dominican Republic: 10% tax, ad limits
Online gambling is licensed by the DGJA under Ley 86-26 of 2026 on '.do' sites; internet games pay 10% a month. The law orders unlicensed sites blocked, but no block had been published as of 10 November 2026.
Product by product
Every online operator needs the internet licence from the Consejo de Juegos de Azar for a named .do website, offices and call centres in the country, and a RD$20,000,000 bond.| Product | Status | Licensed by | Tax | Key restriction | Advertising |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports betting | Licensable | Consejo de Juegos de Azar, internet licence; issued by the DGJA | 10% a month of the base of operations | Bets on real sporting events only; issuance fee RD$15,355,111. Workaround: offshore brands the regulator warned against in 2025 (1xBet, BetWinner, Megapari) still loaded from a Dominican connection on 10 November 2026, and 1xBet runs a Dominican edition with LIDOM and Caribbean Series markets; no block under art. 79 has been published. | No prior approval; health warning and DGJA helpline on every advert; nothing aimed at under-18s |
| Online casino and slots | Licensable | Consejo de Juegos de Azar, internet licence (casino fee line) | As for Sports betting | RNG games only (slots, roulette, blackjack, baccarat); issuance fee RD$20,473,481. Workaround: offshore sites offer casino and live casino with no Dominican licence statement. No block under art. 79 has been published. | No prior approval; health warning and DGJA helpline on every advert |
| Live casino | Limited | No category for live-dealer games | 10% a month if authorised | Live-dealer games are in neither of Resolución 136-2024's game lists; the DGJA is the body to ask whether they can be authorised. | As for online casino |
| Online poker | Licensable | Consejo de Juegos de Azar, internet licence | As for Sports betting | Listed with the RNG games; the platform must allow betting between players. | As for Online casino and slots |
| Lottery | Limited | Consejo de Juegos de Azar, electronic-lottery licence (10 years); lottery bancas by the DGJA (5 years) | 24% of gross sales on cumulative draws, 2.5% on non-cumulative draws | Selling lottery products by an unregulated means or by mobile device is a crime. Workaround: bancas' mobile sales were already banned by Resolución 172-2022, and the DGJA's published enforcement targets land-based bancas; no sanction under the law has been published. | Promoting or selling unauthorised foreign lotteries is a crime |
| Technology suppliers (B2B) | Licensable | Consejo de Juegos de Azar, technology company licence | No gambling tax on supplier revenue | Suppliers of technological operation services must be in the Sistema Único de Registro; no fee, term or form for the licence has been set as of 10 November 2026. | Not applicable |
What changes for existing internet licensees under Ley 86-26?
Ley 86-26, published on 2 October 2026, replaces the DCJA with the DGJA and gives the internet licence ten years instead of the five of Resolución 136-2024. Existing licensees must adapt their platforms within three months and go through re-licensing within one year of entry into force. Until the collection system is installed, each company pays a provisional RD$5,000,000 a month in place of the 10% tax. Resolución DGJA 01-2026 also gave operators 30 days to name their platform developers and providers.
Regulator and player protection in Dominican Republic
Heads-up for operators
6 items · last change 10 Nov 2026
Ley 86-26 is in force (promulgated 22 September 2026, Gaceta Oficial 11263 of 2 October 2026); it repealed Ley 351 of 1964. As of 10 November 2026 none of its rulemaking had been issued: the implementing regulation is due within 90 days (about 31 December 2026), the Consejo de Juegos de Azar's resolutions on rules, fees, bonds and homologation standards, and the DGJA's new fee resolutions within six months (about 2 April 2027). Existing licences must be re-issued under the law within one year (about 2 October 2027). The extraordinary window for existing bancas to declare themselves closes on 15 November 2026 (Resolución DGJA 02-2026). Once the register of licensees is published, no new establishment licences are granted for 10 years, hotel and tourist casinos excepted; whether that freeze reaches internet licences is not stated. No amending bill is pending.
Law 86-26 regulating gambling in the Dominican Republic (Ley núm. 86-26, 22 September 2026)
Law 86-26 of 22 September 2026, "que regula los Juegos de Azar de la República Dominicana", creates the Dirección General de Juegos de Azar (DGJA) and sets up a new regime for betting and games of chance; the DGJA is run by a director general the President appoints (art. 15), and Decree 684-26 of 2 October 2026 named a transitional director general. We have not yet read the law's own text in the Gaceta Oficial; these lines come from the decree.
Source: 1Checked 30 Oct 2026
Re-licensing deadline
Existing licences and concession contracts must be re-issued under the law within one year.
Source: 2
Show all 6Show fewer
Implementing regulation due
The President's regulation of Ley 86-26 is due within 90 days of entry into force; not published as of 10 November 2026.
Source: 2
Bancas declaration window closes
Resolución DGJA 02-2026: the 30-day window to declare irregular bancas; a declaration does not legalise them.
Source: 3
President Submits Bill for New Unified Regulator
President Luis Abinader submits a bill to Congress to create a new, unified regulator (DGJA) and overhaul the entire gambling legal framework.
Source: 4
Not yet in force: drafts, laws adopted without a start date, and sections of the law still to be commenced. An item moves to the timeline below on the day it takes effect.
Getting licensed: apply to the DGJA
Gambling tax: 10% a month of the base of operations (internet games); provisionally RD$5,000,000 a month per company
- Internet games (online casino, betting, poker, bingo and all other games)10% a month of the base of operations by authorised website; provisionally RD$5,000,000 a month per company until the collection system is installed (Ley 86-26 arts. 78, 186).
- Casino tables (land-based)RD$70,000, RD$80,000 and RD$100,000 a month per table by band, from Ley 30-26; indexed yearly at 100% of CPI.
- Slot machines (land-based)RD$18,000 a month per machine in Santo Domingo and Santiago, RD$15,000 elsewhere, from Ley 30-26 (before: 5% a month of each machine's gross sales).
- Bingo, traditional and electronic10% a month of the gross sales of each machine or platform (Ley 86-26 art. 111).
- Gaming tax
- 10% a month on 'la base de las operaciones' of all internet games, paid by the licence holder by reference to the website the DGJA authorised, wherever the activity takes place, within the first ten working days of each month at the DGII (Ley 86-26 art. 78).
- Until the DGJA and the DGII install the collection technology (due within six months, art. 183), each corporate entity pays a fixed RD$5,000,000 a month (art. 186); the law does not say whether the 10% is later credited against it.
- The law does not define the base
- its glossary defines 'ventas brutas' as stakes before prizes paid (art. 4 no. 64), and whether art. 78's base is that figure is left to the regulation.
- No rule says whether bonuses or jackpots reduce the base.
- Licence fees are separate (RD$20,473,481 casino, RD$15,355,111 professional sports betting, Res.
- 136-2024 art. 7, indexed to CPI).
- Corporate income tax is 27% (30% for fiscal years 2026 to 2028 at income of RD$1,000,000,000 or more); whether the 10% replaces or adds to it is not stated.
Which foreign licences the Dominican Republic accepts
The Dominican Republic recognises none of these 8 foreign licences.
BannedMalta (MGA) · United Kingdom (UKGC) · Curaçao (CGB) · Alderney (AGCC) · Kahnawake (KGC) · Anjouan (AGB) · Isle of Man (GSC) · Gibraltar (GRA)
Not recognised: an internet licence from the DGJA's Consejo is required, offering games without one is irregular and a crime (Ley 86-26 arts. 24, 162 no. 1), and the law orders the DGJA, with INDOTEL, to have unlicensed domains blocked (art. 79). In practice offshore brands still serve Dominican players: the Dirección de Casinos y Juegos de Azar listed 1xBet, Megapari, BetWinner, bet365 and 22Bet among unauthorised websites on 25 February 2025 and ordered no block, and on 10 November 2026 the home pages of 1xBet, BetWinner and Megapari loaded from a Dominican connection and offered registration (one connection, one day); 1xBet runs a Dominican edition with LIDOM and Caribbean Series markets and local-bank transfers. No block and no list had been published as of 10 November 2026.
Bonus rules: welcome bonuses allowed
Bonuses are not banned. Resolución 136-2024 recognises bonuses and makes the operator publish the terms on which bonuses and jackpots are offered; Ley 86-26 bars advertising or bonuses aimed at self-excluded persons, and every promotion must carry the health warning and the DGJA helpline number.
- Welcome bonus
- Allowed
- VIP schemes
- Allowed
- Loyalty schemes
- Allowed
- Cashback
- Allowed
Bonuses are allowed. The site must publish the terms of each bonus, and no bonus may be sent to you if you have excluded yourself.
- Messages ads may not give
- Advertising directed at or attractive to under-18s
- Presenting games in a way that disguises their random character or their risks
- Mandatory disclaimer
Jugar Puede Provocar Adicción y Afectar la Salud
- Placement rule
- In a prominent place, clearly visible or audible, in every advertisement and promotion, with the DGJA's free helpline number (Ley 86-26 art. 37); also at entrances, counters, on the website and on tickets (art. 35).
- Penalties
Breach of the advertising conditions of art. 37 is a serious infringement: 100 to 200 public-sector minimum salaries and a stop of draws for one to three months (art. 147).
A repeat very serious infringement doubles the sanction and revokes the licence (art. 148).
No fine decided under Ley 86-26 had been published as of 10 November 2026; VIP players get enhanced AML due diligence (Resolución 217-2025 art. 35).
Advertising: limited
The Dominican Republic allows advertising of authorised games through any medium, with no prior approval, no watershed and no channel ban (Ley 86-26 art. 37). Every advertisement or promotion must carry the message 'Jugar Puede Provocar Adicción y Afectar la Salud' in a prominent place and the number of the DGJA's free helpline, and none may be directed at or attractive to people under 18; advertising, sponsorship and promotion are under the DGJA's oversight. Breaching art. 37 is a serious infringement (100 to 200 public-sector minimum salaries and a stop of draws for one to three months). Promoting an unauthorised game on television, radio, websites or social networks is an infringement of its own.
| Channel | Status | Vertical & Platform Split (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Ads | Restricted | Online advertising of authorised games is allowed under art. 37. No advert may be directed at or attractive to under-18s, and each must carry 'Jugar Puede Provocar Adicción y Afectar la Salud' and the DGJA's free helpline number (Ley 86-26 art. 37). Using websites to promote or sell an unauthorised game is an infringement (arts. 146 no. 4, 148 no. 17), and the DGJA orders unlicensed domains blocked with INDOTEL (art. 79).2 |
| Meta (FB/IG) | Restricted | Social networks are named among the media through which promoting an unauthorised game is an infringement (art. 146 no. 4); authorised operators follow art. 37. No advert may be directed at or attractive to under-18s, and each must carry 'Jugar Puede Provocar Adicción y Afectar la Salud' and the DGJA's free helpline number (Ley 86-26 art. 37). The Dirección warned on 23 January 2026 of social-media and web adverts that use authorised operators' names to send users to other sites.26 |
| TV & Radio | Restricted | No ban and no watershed for authorised games. No advert may be directed at or attractive to under-18s, and each must carry 'Jugar Puede Provocar Adicción y Afectar la Salud' and the DGJA's free helpline number (Ley 86-26 art. 37). Land-based casino opening hours (4:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.) are the only hours the law sets.2 |
| Sponsorships | Restricted | Allowed under the DGJA's oversight (art. 37 párr.); no sponsorship ban, sector limit or rule on shirts or stadiums. The art. 37 rules apply in so far as a sponsorship is advertising or promotion.2 |
| Digital OOH | Restricted | No outdoor-specific rule: billboards and screens follow art. 37. No advert may be directed at or attractive to under-18s, and each must carry 'Jugar Puede Provocar Adicción y Afectar la Salud' and the DGJA's free helpline number (Ley 86-26 art. 37).2 |
Channel rules for Dominican Republic reflect each platform's published policy and the sources numbered in each row (listed under Methodology & sources). Verify with the local regulator and your ad-platform account manager before launching.
How the Dominican Republic enforces against unlicensed operators
Ley 86-26 gives the DGJA closure, blocking and sanction powers, but as of 10 November 2026 it had used them publicly only against land-based bancas. Before the law, the Ministry's Dirección de Casinos y Juegos de Azar warned the public about unauthorised websites instead of blocking them. No block of a website, no list of blocked sites and no fine under the law has been published.
- 2 November 2026: the DGJA said the bancas declaration window closes on 15 November 2026 and irregular bancas may be closed and sanctioned.
- 14 October 2026: the DGJA warned that opening or installing bancas without authorisation will be sanctioned.
- 25 February 2025: notice MH-2025-005915 listed unauthorised websites, among them 1xbet.com, megapari.com, betwinner1.com, bet365.com and 22bet.com, and ordered no block.
- 22 March 2024: notice MH-2024-009200 listed two companies and some forty websites offering internet gambling without authorisation, a warning, not a blacklist.
Enforcement cases in the Dominican Republic: 4 recent
Material regulator actions, court rulings, and high-profile fines from 2016–2026 against operators serving Dominican Republic. Each entry includes the technical failure and a one-line read-across for other operators in the market.
- October 2026
Unauthorised lottery and sports-betting bancas
Grey-MarketSanctions announced; regularisation windowThe DGJA warned on 14 October 2026 that opening or installing bancas without authorisation will be sanctioned, and on 2 November 2026 that the voluntary-declaration window closes on 15 November 2026 and does not legalise a banca.
Read-across: Land-based. The DGJA's first published enforcement under Ley 86-26 is aimed at bancas; no closure, fine or conviction under the law has been published.
- January 2026
Sites using the names of authorised operators
AdvertisingPublic warningNotice MHE-2026-001917 of 23 January 2026 warned of advertising on websites and social networks that uses the names and marks of authorised operators to send users to other sites.
Read-across: Licensed brands are copied to steer players offshore; players are told to check the licence and the web address.
- February 2025
Unauthorised websites, among them www.1xbet.com, www.megapari.com, www.betwinner1.com, www.bet365.com and www.22bet.com
Grey-MarketPublic warning, no blockNotice MH-2025-005915 of 25 February 2025 lists websites operating without the Ministry's authorisation and asks players to check an operator's authorisation; it orders no block.
Read-across: Ley 86-26 now orders blocking with INDOTEL (art. 79); as of 10 November 2026 no block has been published and three of the named brands still loaded from a Dominican connection.
- March 2024
Two companies and some forty websites, among them www.bet365.com, www.1xbet.com, betway.com and pokerstars.com
Grey-MarketPublic warning, no blockNotice MH-2024-009200 of 22 March 2024 lists companies, brands and websites said to offer internet gambling without authorisation.
Read-across: A warning to the public, not a blacklist: it orders no block and names no authorised operator.
Traps operators hit in the Dominican Republic
Specific operational risks that have caught new entrants in this market. Each item is country-specific. Generic gambling-ops issues (KYC, RG tools) are not included unless they have a local twist.
The tax base is undefined
Internet games pay 10% a month on 'la base de las operaciones', which Ley 86-26 does not define; until the collection system is installed each company pays a fixed RD$5,000,000 a month, and the law does not say whether the 10% is later credited against it.
Sources2
Identity check before any deposit
Ley 86-26 bars deposits and bets until identity and age are checked against the Junta Central Electoral records; the 30 business days Resolución 136-2024 allowed are displaced. How a non-Dominican player is checked is not stated.
Servers may be abroad, but declared
The applicant states the exact location of its servers, in the country or abroad, and needs prior written authorisation to move them; offices and call centres must be in the Dominican Republic, and the site must use a '.do' domain.
Sources5
Re-licensing within a year
Existing licences must be re-issued under Ley 86-26 within one year of entry into force (about 2 October 2027), and existing platforms adapted within three months; the DGJA's new fee resolutions are due within six months.
Sources2
Live dealer is not a listed category
Resolución 136-2024 lists RNG games and bets on real sporting events; live-dealer games are in neither list, so ask the DGJA before offering them.
Sources5
Timeline: rules in force
- 14 Oct 2026
DGJA warns about sanctions for installing betting shops without authorization
The Dirección General de Juegos de Azar (DGJA) is reiterating its warning about sanctions for the installation of betting shops without proper authorization. It also warns that private lottery concessionaires found participating in such practices may face suspension of inspector services for their d
Source: 11
- 13 Oct 2026
DGJA starts operations
Resolución DGJA 01-2026 opens the transitional regime and the complaints system, rolled out in stages.
Source: 12
- 13 Oct 2026
Resolución DGJA Núm. 01-2026
Operators must provide the DGJA with identifying and contact details for their technology providers and platforms within 30 calendar days from the resolution’s entry into force. The resolution also prohibits opening new lottery banks, agencies, or sales points, effective from its issuance.
Source: 13From the official text · no research report yet
- 18 Jun 2026
Ley 30-26 tax reform
New prize-withholding scale (bancas from RD$200,001; 15% on slot prizes) and new casino-table, slot and banca amounts.
Source: 14
- 14 Mar 2024
Resolución 136-2024 on internet gambling
The Ministry of Finance sets the internet licence requirements, issuance fees and the RD$20,000,000 bond.
Source: 5
- March 2024
Regulator Blacklists 41 Unlicensed Operators
The DCJA issues a public blacklist of major international operators, signaling a new era of strict enforcement against unlicensed activity.
Source: 15
One change concerns land-based gambling only and is listed on our updates page; this page covers online gambling.
Operator myths vs reality in the Dominican Republic
Common assumptions about gambling licensing that turn out to be wrong in practice.
- MythOur servers must be in the Dominican Republic.Reality
No: the applicant declares where its servers are, in the country or abroad, and needs prior written authorisation to move them (Resolución 136-2024 art. 6 no. 6). Offices, call centres and a '.do' domain are local.
Sources5
- MythOnline operators pay 29% of GGR.Reality
No instrument sets 29%. Internet games pay 10% a month on the base of operations (Ley 86-26 art. 78), provisionally a fixed RD$5,000,000 a month per company (art. 186).
Sources2
- MythThe licence runs five years.
- MythA Curaçao or MGA licence lets us take Dominican players.Reality
No foreign licence is recognised: an internet licence from the DGJA's Consejo is required, and offering games without one is irregular and a crime (arts. 24, 162 no. 1).
Sources2
Markets that work like Dominican Republic
Compared on what our records hold for each country: whether online casino, betting, poker and lottery are licensed, state-run or banned, the licensing model, what the operator tax is levied on and its band, how most advertising channels are treated, and how foreign licences are treated. A point we hold for only one of the two countries counts for nothing.
Methodology & sources
The research behind our Dominican Republic coverage
Counted across every Dominican Republic page, not this page alone.
compiled 10 Nov 2026
Across every Dominican Republic page on this site: players, operators and the licence guide. The research report behind them cites official sources: the law, the regulator, the gazette, the courts and each platform’s own published advertising policy. Page sections not yet rewritten from the report may cite other sources.
The same research as a 80-page Dominican Republic report: every one of the 201 checklist questions, each answer cited to the instrument behind it.
Request the Dominican Republic reportOur Deep AI Scan took Dominican Republic through all 201 questions of our regulatory checklist, from 50 official documents, read on 10 Nov 2026. Our research team then traced every figure on this page to the document and sentence that states it. The full research report is due to go to our compliance team. Where a fact rests on a press report or a law-firm summary rather than an official document, the page says so.
Documents cited on this page
- 1Decree 684-26 (Presidency), citing Law 86-26
- 2Ley núm. 86-26 que regula los juegos de azar (Gaceta Oficial núm. 11263, 2 October 2026)
- 3Resolución DGJA núm. 02-2026 (Plan de Regularización, 30-day extraordinary window)
- 4Source
- 5Resolución núm. 136-2024 del Ministerio de Hacienda, que regula la autorización para operar Juegos de Azar por Internet (14 March 2024)
- 6Dirección de Casinos y Juegos de Azar: Aviso de advertencia MHE-2026-001917 on misleading advertising on digital platforms, 23 January 2026
- 7DGJA news, 2 November 2026: Aviso de reiteración, vencimiento del plazo extraordinario de 30 días
- 8DGJA press note of 14 October 2026 (unauthorised bancas, sanctions)
- 9Dirección de Casinos y Juegos de Azar: Aviso de advertencia MH-2025-005915, 'Actualización sitios web no autorizados a operar', 25 February 2025
- 10Dirección de Casinos y Juegos de Azar: Aviso de advertencia MH-2024-009200 of 22 March 2024 (companies, brands and websites not authorised to operate)
- 11Source
- 12Resolución DGJA núm. 01-2026 (start of DGJA operations, transitional measures)
- 13Primeras Resoluciones emitidas por la Dirección General de Juegos de Azar
- 14Gaceta Oficial núm. 11247 of 19 June 2026: Ley núm. 30-26 of 18 June 2026 (Código Tributario and gambling tax articles)
- 15Source
Other documents this page relies on
- DGJA page: Juegos AutorizadosRegulator
- Ministerio de Hacienda: Resolución núm. 093-2021 (24 May 2021) que establece los requisitos para el otorgamiento de licencia de fabricación de máquinas tragamonedasRegulator
- DGJA media library listing (WordPress REST), 10 November 2026Regulator
- Resolución núm. 217-2025 que aprueba la norma para la Prevención del Lavado de Activos y el Financiamiento del Terrorismo con un Enfoque Basado en Riesgo (Ministerio de Hacienda y Economía, 4 November 2025)Regulator
- Ministerio de Hacienda, Comisión de Casinos: DM-722-2018 (6 August 2018), requisitos para la concesión de licencia de homologación de marca de máquinas tragamonedasRegulator
- DGJA page: Prevención de lavadoRegulator
Also cited on this page
50 documents in all. Request the full research report for every source, answer by answer.