Abinader appoints three members to Dominican Republic gambling council
People moves1 min read
Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader appointed three members to the Gambling Council by Decree 810-26, issued on 11 November. The council oversees the Dirección General de Juegos de Azar (DGJA) under the framework established by Law 86-26.
Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader appointed three members to the Gambling Council, which oversees the country's gambling regulator. The appointments were made under Decree 810-26, issued on 11 November.
The appointees are Julio César Castaños Guzmán, José Julio Antonio de la Altagracia Cross Frías and José Delio Ares Guzmán. Law 86-26, enacted on 22 September 2026, provides for the president to appoint three council members.
Castaños Guzmán is a lawyer who formerly chaired the Central Electoral Board and served as a Supreme Court judge. Cross Frías worked in auditing, banking and financial administration and headed the banking and electricity superintendencies. Ares Guzmán is an electrical engineer and computer science specialist who was executive director of the Dominican telecommunications institute, Indotel.
Law 86-26 created the Dirección General de Juegos de Azar (DGJA) to regulate and supervise gambling, with the council as its regulatory and supervisory authority. In October, the executive appointed Teófilo “Quico” Tabar Manzur as the DGJA's interim director general under Decree 684-26.
The law covers operating licences, conditions for establishments, slot machines and responsible gambling tools. Its measures include extending lottery betting shop licences from two to five years and introducing a national self-exclusion register.