How to get a gambling licence in the Dominican Republic

Every game needs the licence for its modality (Ley 86-26 art. 39). Online, that is the internet licence (art. 75) or, for bets on simulated events, the virtual-games licence (art. 95); both are granted by the Consejo to legal entities.

• The issuance fee is set per modality (casinos, professional sports betting, other games); the law does not say whether one licence covers both RNG games and sports betting, so ask the DGJA.
• The licence attaches to an authorised .do website; whether several brands or domains can sit under one licence is not stated.
• Live-dealer games are in neither of the resolution's game lists; ask the DGJA before offering them.
• 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.

Laws that apply

• Ley núm. 86-26 que regula los juegos de azar (promulgated 22 September 2026, Gaceta Oficial 11263 of 2 October 2026); it repealed Ley 351 of 1964, Ley 96-88 and Ley 29-06
• Resolución núm. 136-2024 of the Ministerio de Hacienda (14 March 2024) on internet gambling, applying where not contrary to Ley 86-26
• Resoluciones DGJA 01-2026 (start of operations, transition) and 02-2026 (regularisation of bancas)
• Código Tributario as amended by Ley 30-26 of 18 June 2026 (prize withholding, land-based taxes)
• Ley 155-17 against money laundering and Resolución 217-2025 (AML norm for the sector)

No nationality or seat test applies. A foreign commercial company registers in the Registro Mercantil of the Chamber of Commerce of its Dominican domicile and takes a tax number (RNC); its documents are apostilled or legalised and translated.

• The by-laws must state internet gambling as the corporate object, and the file shows the ownership chain up to the natural persons who control the company.
• Every shareholder files a criminal-record certificate and a notarised sworn declaration of the origin and lawfulness of funds.
• The licence is refused to anyone, shareholders and administrators included, sanctioned in an administrative proceeding in the previous four years, ever convicted of the listed offences, bankrupt in the previous four years or not up to date with tax or social security (art. 42).
• No minimum share capital is set; the DGJA tests financial capacity, and the applicant files audited financial statements.

• The technical gaming system is certified before applying; no laboratory is named, so ask the DGJA which certificates it accepts.
• Servers may be in the Dominican Republic or abroad: the applicant declares their exact location and needs prior written authorisation to move them.
• The site uses a .do domain, redirects connections from the Dominican Republic to .do sites and connects in real time to the DGJA's inspection system.
• Offices and call centres in the country, and a current account with a bank authorised in the Dominican Republic.
• Identity and age are checked against the Junta Central Electoral records before any deposit or bet; players get deposit, loss and session-time limits.
• The DGJA is the AML authority for gambling under Ley 155-17; operators register in the UAF's goAML system.

Resolución 136-2024 sets the issuance fees, indexed yearly to the consumer price index, until the DGJA issues new fee resolutions; Ley 86-26 sets the tax.

• The provisional RD$5,000,000 a month runs until the DGJA and the DGII install the collection technology; the law does not say whether the 10% is then credited against it.
• The tax is paid within the first ten working days of each month at the DGII. Renewal at term costs 50% of the issuance fee under the 2024 resolution.
• Prizes are taxed at source by the payer: 25% on lottery and electronic gambling prizes; 15% on slot machine prizes.

• Advertising needs no prior approval, but every advert carries "Jugar Puede Provocar Adicción y Afectar la Salud" and the DGJA's free helpline number, and none may target under-18s.
• The minimum age is 18. A national self-exclusion register run by the DGJA exists in law; its operating rules await the implementing regulation.
• The site shows the number of the resolution approving the licence and a complaints icon; the DGJA's complaints system is being rolled out in stages.

The route for a new internet operator under Ley 86-26 and Resolución 136-2024, as of 10 November 2026.

1. 01

   Register locally

   Registro Mercantil and RNC

   Set up or register the commercial company with internet gambling as its object, open a current account with a Dominican bank and secure offices in the country.

2. 02

   Certify the system

   Before filing

   Obtain the certification of the technical gaming system, the internal control manual reviewed by an auditor, the .do website and the connection to the inspection system.

3. 03

   File at the DGJA

   On paper

   File the form and the corporate, financial and technical documents at the DGJA seat in Santo Domingo or, during the transition, at the former DCJA offices.

4. 04

   Due diligence and decision

   No deadline set

   The DGJA runs due diligence and prequalification; the Consejo de Juegos de Azar decides on the director general's proposal and the DGJA issues the licence.

5. 05

   Bond and start

   Within six months

   Lodge the RD$20,000,000 bond with the grant and start operations within six months of issue.

Tier-ordered: official government first, then practitioner, then trade media. Every primary figure was read from the in-force text on 10 Nov 2026.