Finance and Economy Minister Magín Díaz has officially administered the oath of office to Teófilo José Abrahán Leo “Quico” Tabar Manzur as interim director general of the Dominican Republic’s newly created General Directorate of Gambling (DGJA). The leadership appointment was formalized via Decree 684-26, issued by President Luis Abinader following the enactment of Law 86-26, which overhauls the nation’s legal framework for regulating, authorising, inspecting, and supervising land-based and digital gambling activities.

Institutional Consolidation and Legal Reform

Published in the Official Gazette on October 2, 2026, Law 86-26 establishes the DGJA as an autonomous, decentralized body under the Ministry of Finance and Economy. The new agency replaces the former Directorate of Casinos and Gambling, centralizing supervisory authority that was previously fragmented across multiple entities, including the National Lottery and the Directorate General of Internal Revenue (DGII).

Tabar will lead the DGJA on an interim basis while retaining his existing roles as administrator of the National Lottery and coordinator of the national betting shop regularisation process. The DGJA’s mandate covers land-based casinos, lottery banks, retail sports betting, and online gambling platforms. Under the new statutory framework, the agency is tasked with establishing unified operational rules, enforcing operator tax obligations, combating financial crime and money laundering, and implementing anti-fraud and minor-protection measures.

Oversight Expansion Target Digital Betting and Prediction Markets

The creation of a unified gaming authority follows months of policy discussions aimed at modernizing regulatory supervision as digital betting captures a larger share of the local market. Consumer data compiled by Blask indicates strong engagement with digital wagering, with 85 percent of active players utilizing traditional sports betting products and 65 percent of the player base falling between the ages of 18 and 34.

The transition to a centralized framework also comes amid heightened regulatory scrutiny of unauthorized prediction platforms and grey-market operators. Earlier this year, Dominican authorities issued formal compliance warnings regarding unapproved prediction platforms specifically citing Criterio360, Polymarket, and Kalshi for operating outside the national legal framework and raising risks related to unverified deposits, cryptoassets, and anti-money laundering (AML) compliance. The DGJA will now oversee direct enforcement, requiring all operators targeting domestic players to secure formal authorization from the Ministry of Finance and Economy.

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