The Minister of Sports, Francisco Jose (Cuqui) Torres, has warned that starting on 21 March all winning tickets at the betting shops (bancas) will be levied a 3% tax, with the proceeds going to the Ministry of Sports (SEDEFIR). Mr. Torres held a meeting at the Palacio de Deportes with representatives of the betting shops, the news media and members of his Ministry. He threatened to close any shops whose owners refuse to comply with the tax. The lawyer of the Asociación de Bancas de Apuestas de la República Dominicana, Dr. Manuel Antonio Tapia Cunillera, argued that the levy is unconstitutional as all new taxes must be approved by Congress. Members of SEDEFIR have been visiting shops throughout the country in order to measure the size of their operations and to estimate the average amount of daily betting done at each establishment. Owners of the small betting shops have not expressed many complaints about the new tax, yet the ones with larger daily volumes claim that they stand to lose a considerable part of their profits.
It is estimated that more than RD$30 million is bet each day during the season of the U.S. Major Baseball Leagues, which is the largest medium for wagering at the shops.
22-28 March 1996