Dominican Republic Hípica Licenses Reopen Debate Over the Gambling Bill

The Dominican Republic’s National Hípica Commission said it has issued 29,100 virtual horse-racing gaming licenses in its history, after weeks of cross-accusations with the sports betting sector. For PSPs and operators, the number matters less than the fight around it: it is now being used to pressure the Senate to slow down the General Gambling Bill before approving it.

1. The dispute started when ADOBAD, together with Asonabade, accused the commission chaired by Francisco Pavonessa Grullón of issuing more than 70,000 licenses for virtual operations. The commission publicly denied that figure and gave its own breakdown: 60,000 applications received in total, of which 29,100 became effective licenses.
2. That gap did not end the argument; it widened it. ADOBAD is using the commission’s own number as evidence that the current system already allows a level of virtual gambling expansion it considers excessive, and it has formally asked the Senate to review the bill before moving ahead.
3. The association’s main concern is what the current draft could do beyond virtual horse racing. If the General Gambling Bill passes as written, ADOBAD argues, the licensing model could spread into other gaming segments, including digital casinos placed in open-access venues without clear restrictions keeping minors out.
4. ADOBAD also says many of the licenses confirmed by the commission ended up with lottery shops operating directly on the street. In its view, that creates another channel for gambling to expand outside regulated circuits, which is exactly the kind of setup payment providers and acquirers end up underwriting if the rules stay fuzzy.
5. The association wants lawmakers to examine not only how new forms of gambling would be authorized, but also the supervision, control, and user-protection mechanisms that would come with the new framework. In other words: don’t just write permission into the law and hope the market behaves.

The source frames this as a clash between two legal regimes, with the current licensing practice for virtual hípica becoming the reference point in the broader fight over the country’s gambling framework.