Haiti has created a national gambling regulator, ANJHA, and made the General Directorate of Taxes, or DGI, the only body authorised to receive the sector’s taxes, fees and other official payments. The overhaul covers casinos, betting operations, borlette outlets, online gambling and related suppliers.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance set out the measures in a memorandum dated Nov. 5, following the publication of three decrees in the official gazette Le Moniteur on Aug. 21. The government said the changes were intended to combat money laundering, illicit financial flows and terrorist financing, while bringing greater order, transparency and security to the market.
The Autorité Nationale des Jeux de Hasard et d’Argent, or ANJHA, is an autonomous administrative body supervised by the finance ministry and based in Port-au-Prince, with scope to open other offices. It will license and inspect operators, enforce the rules, fight illegal supply, publish the list of authorised businesses and conduct responsible-gambling awareness campaigns.
The decrees separate regulatory oversight from commercial gambling operations. Regulation had previously rested with the Loterie de l’État Haïtien, which also operates games; the lottery has described the new division as ANJHA regulating while the LEH operates.
ANJHA has a proposed five-member board, while its director general is to be appointed by the president on the finance minister’s recommendation. The published texts and ministry notice did not name members of the board or a director general.
Licences will be issued for one year and only to sociétés anonymes, across five classes: luxury gaming houses, online gaming, borlette, digital-platform suppliers and other gaming halls. Applicants must submit a 5 million-Gourde guarantee deposit to the Banque de la République d’Haïti, disclose the source of their funds and provide criminal-record information for every shareholder. Telecommunications companies cannot operate gambling activities.
The framework sets annual licence fees ranging from 500,000 Gourdes for platform suppliers and other gaming halls to 10 million Gourdes for luxury gaming houses. Online operators pay 5 million Gourdes annually, and borlette operators 2.5 million Gourdes, in addition to a 50,000-Gourde application fee. Operators must also make a monthly advance equal to 5% of gross gaming revenue, defined as stakes received less winnings paid, while payments to providers outside Haiti face a 15% withholding tax.
All payments connected to licences, authorisations and legal obligations must pass through official DGI channels and be supported by a receipt. The ministry warned operators not to make payments outside those channels. Under the decrees, ANJHA must send its operator list to the DGI by Sept. 30 and licence payments are due by Oct. 31 each year.
The rules introduce formal licensing for online gambling and require anti-money-laundering controls, operator reporting and player safeguards. Operators must provide self-exclusion, limits on deposits, stakes and playing time, player-risk monitoring and staff training. The legal gambling age is 18, while advertisements require prior approval and cannot encourage excessive play, create unrealistic expectations of winning or fail to protect minors.
For non-online operators, wins of at least 100,000 Gourdes must be reported within 72 hours and paid by bank transfer or banker’s cheque rather than cash. Illegal gambling can bring licence revocation, a 5 million-Gourde fine and one to three years in prison; money laundering, fraud or repeated breaches can lead to permanent loss of a licence.
Existing LEH authorisations remain valid until expiry but must be registered with ANJHA. Once those permissions lapse, borlette banks holding them must qualify as sociétés anonymes and meet the new deposit and licensing requirements. The texts do not establish a transition timetable or explain how the first payment deadline applies to businesses still operating under LEH authorisations.
