Haiti has set up a national gambling regulator, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux de Hasard et d’Argent (ANJHA), to regulate, monitor and supervise gambling across the country, including casinos, betting and borlette banks, the Haitian lottery system.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance announced the regulator in a public notice dated 5 October.
The legal basis
Three decrees published in the official gazette, Le Moniteur, on 21 August established the regulator, set operating rules and created a gambling-specific tax regime. Draft proposals went before the Council of Ministers on 11 August.
The decrees cover:
- licensing and operator obligations;
- protections for minors and players;
- anti-money laundering measures;
- penalties for breaches.
What the ANJHA will do
Based in Port-au-Prince, with scope to open offices elsewhere, the ANJHA will publish a list of authorised operators, run responsible gambling awareness and enforce compliance.
Operators must pay taxes, licence fees, authorisation fees and other sums only through the Direction Générale des Impôts (DGI), the sole authorised collector, using official channels and with a receipt for each payment.
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The ministry says the reforms are aimed at combating money laundering, illicit financial flows and terrorist financing, and at bringing “more order, transparency and security” to the sector.
The regulator’s leadership, tax rates and licence categories have not yet been published.
