Senator Pedro Tineo introduced a bill proposing that the Dominican Republic’s National Lottery become an autonomous state body and regulator for betting shops, casinos and electronic games. The proposal would give it oversight, inspection and sanctioning powers; the Senate received the bill on 13 May.
The proposal would shift gaming oversight and enforcement powers to the National Lottery if approved.
The day’s most important stories, free. One email a day.
Timișoara Council voted unanimously to stop issuing new authorisations for gambling halls in the Romanian city, Mayor Dominic Fritz said. Existing venues may operate until their ONJN licences expire, with all licences due to end by 2027; lottery services will be the only permitted gambling activity thereafter.
BAGO called for Belgium to focus enforcement on illegal gambling advertising rather than impose further restrictions on licensed operators, following Sciensano survey findings. The survey found risky gambling behaviour remained at 2.6% over five years, while 52.2% of people reported weekly exposure to at least one form of gambling advertising. BAGO said that exposure also reflects lottery advertising and unlicensed operators.
Belgium’s Gambling Commission said newsagents must again check the EPIS exclusion register before accepting sports bets, following a court ruling upholding the requirement. The court also struck down the exemption for Class III venues, including cafés, but the existing rules for those venues remain in place until 31 December 2027; lawmakers have until 31 December 2026 to address unequal treatment of online National Lottery games.
Belgium's Constitutional Court annulled an exemption that allowed bars with gaming machines to operate without checking the EPIS self-exclusion register, according to the report. The legislature has until the end of 2027 to amend the rules. The court also questioned the exclusion of National Lottery online products from comparable player-protection controls; the report says future rules may require register checks and a minimum age of 21.
Belgium’s Constitutional Court struck down an exemption that allowed bars with gambling machines to avoid checking players against the EPIS exclusion register. Lawmakers have until the end of 2027 to amend the rules; the court also said online lottery games should face exclusion checks and a minimum age of 21, with lawmakers expected to address that issue before year-end.