Dominican Republic partners with FIBA to tighten AML controls across casinos, sports betting and lottery outlets

The Ministry of Finance and Economy has signed an agreement with the Financial & International Business Association (FIBA) to roll out a sector-specific AML certification program, aiming to professionalise compliance and reduce the country’s exposure in international evaluations.

The Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Finance and Economy (MHE) has signed a collaboration agreement with the Financial & International Business Association (FIBA) to strengthen anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing safeguards in the gambling sector. The agreement was signed in Santo Domingo by Finance Minister Magín Díaz and FIBA Executive Director David Schwartz.

The core deliverable is a new AMLCA–Juegos de Azar certification track tailored to the Dominican context, to be developed by FIBA with the MHE through the Directorate of Casinos and Games of Chance. The program is intended for ministry officials, gambling operators, and other “obliged entities” across the sector, including casinos, lottery betting outlets, sports betting, and electronic lottery concessionaires, with the stated goal of ensuring front-line entities have trained and certified compliance staff.

MHE links the initiative to Resolution 217-2025, which establishes mandatory suitability and certified training requirements for compliance officers, aligning professional competencies with internationally expected standards and reinforcing a risk-based approach to AML.

FIBA’s training and certification delivery will also leverage its connection with Florida International University (FIU), which the ministry cites as a key partner for capacity building.

Officials frame the agreement as part of a broader institutional strengthening strategy: beyond training, it is meant to harden the state’s “anti-money-laundering defence architecture” and reduce vulnerability in assessments by bodies such as GAFILAT. For operators, the practical implication is clear—compliance competency is becoming more formalised, auditable, and tied to recognised certification standards.