Italy and the Dominican Republic tighten rules, USA launches self-exclusion program, and Brazil introduces new restrictions
The Dominican Republic sets new rules for online casinos and bookmakers, Italy raises the cost of license fees to €7 million, the US launches the NVSEP self-exclusion program, and Brazil imposes restrictions on financial transactions in gambling.
Dominican Republic introduces online gambling regulations
The Dominican Republic has passed a new law, 136-2024, which establishes new rules for the licensing of online casinos and bookmakers.
According to this document, under the supervision of the Casino and Gambling Directorate at the Ministry of Finance, each license for online gambling activities will be issued for a five-year term. It is important to note that licenses cannot be transferred to third parties during the first three years.
The licensing fee varies depending on the type of business: for online casinos it is $346,000, for sports betting, $260,000, and for other types of gambling on the internet, $170,000. Although specific tax rates are not mentioned in the new resolution, prior law required taxation at 29% of the GGR.
Among other things, operators are required to register their gambling sites in the country's national domain zone (.do) and host servers in the Dominican Republic.
Interesting fact: since no single operator currently has a new gambling license, all gambling companies are banned.
Italy has raised the cost of a license to €7 million
Italy has introduced new rules for the online gambling market. A decree that changes the terms and conditions in the sector, including higher license fees and new restrictions, was officially published at the beginning of the month.
Now the cost of a license for online casinos has been increased to €7 million. In addition, every year, operators will pay an additional tax of 3% of their revenues. The expiration period of the new license will be 9 years, and now a single business conglomerate cannot hold more than five licenses.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance predicts that these changes will bring at least €350 million to the budget if at least 50 operators decide to renew their licenses. Another €100 million per year could be generated if all interested companies want to purchase new licenses.
The United States will launch its first national self-exclusion program
This summer, the U.S. will launch the National Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program (NVSEP). Once the necessary regulatory approvals are obtained, the program will be implemented in New England and then, step by step, expanded to other states.
NVSEP will allow users to exclude themselves from participating in gambling regardless of their location. The program also integrates up-to-date state-by-state legislative information and the latest updates in the field of gambling addiction prevention across the country.
Behind the implementation of NVSEP is idPair, a company that specializes in creating technology for safe gambling. The company is encouraging more national gambling regulators to join this initiative around the world.
Brazil introduces new restrictions and regulations
Under new rules introduced by regulator SPA and Brazil's Ministry of Finance, financial transactions in the gambling industry must be carried out exclusively through wire transfers, which are approved by the Central Bank of Brazil.
The use of credit cards, cryptocurrencies, cash, payment slips and receipts for betting is now strictly prohibited. It is also not allowed to accept payments from accounts that are different from the player's name or to make transfers from third parties.
Additionally, the new policies prohibit acting as an intermediary between punters and betting operators. However, institutions that have received authorization from the Central Bank may provide accounts on behalf of operators in certain cases, such as for the payout of winnings.
In addition to this, operators are required to provide players with reports with information about their betting history and their personal financial habits. This requirement is intended to help players better manage their finances and expenses.
These innovations are in addition to the restrictions already in place, including a prohibition on any form of free gifts and promotions. Operators must accept money only from registered users and pay out winnings within 120 minutes after the end of a sporting event. All these measures are aimed at ensuring fairness in the gambling industry and preventing the growth of gambling addiction.
