In the Dominican Republic, there are seven betting shops for every public school, N Digital reports. Many of the betting shops are on the same block of school.
The calculation of betting shops to schools is based on official statistics from the Ministry of Education for the 2022-2023 school year. The Ministry of Education lists 7,839 educational centers in the public sector. Meanwhile, the National Survey of MSMEs, presented last week by the Central Bank and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs (MICM), counted the operation of 56,933 betting shops, both formal and informal.
The story in N Digital reveals that if private schools are added, then the schools would be 10,567. So, compared to the number of betting shops, there are five betting shops for every school in the Dominican Republic.
Another way to see how betting shops proliferate and thrive in Dominican social life is by distance. Every 850 meters, on average, there is one of these gambling establishments. However, in theory, one must travel 4.5 kilometers to reach a public or private educational center.
The distance has been taken as an average because the Ministry of Education does not have a weighted average of the distance to which its schools are located. In addition. There is no rule that establishes the distance between one school and another.
“More than the distance, the criterion that is taken into account is the demand that exists in the area or place where an educational center begins to operate,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Education told N Digital.
The influence of gambling is evident in the figures presented by the Taxes Agency. Each month, the so-called tax on gambling and prizes raises RD$307.9 million in taxes. The betting shops defend their existence on the ground that they pay taxes and employ thousands of people.
N Digital reports that over the years the government has practically promoted gambling. Almost a month ago, the Public Ministry accused a former Minister of Hacienda of leading a network of bribery payments made to gambling establishments.
Read more:
N Digital
18 June 2024