Operator News

Dominican Republic – Court rejects bid to halt Hard Rock Casino

By Phil - 24 February 2017

The President of the Supreme Administrative Court of the Dominican Republic has rejected the request for protective measure, filed against provisional permits for the construction of the Hard Rock Casino & Hotel in Santo Domingo.

The injunction was filed by residents of the neighbourhood of Piantini and surrounding areas against the urban planning department of the National District which was responsible for granting the building permit under the last administration. However, locals have vowed to fight on and oppose the building of the casino in a residential sector with thousands of inhabitants as they argue it would cause a negative impact on the local community and that the project violates local planning provisions.
In a strongly worded statement lawyer Miriam Paulino, who is representing the local community in their opposition to the new casino, said: “We are going to study the sentence but we are announcing that from now on that we will resort to the corresponding appeals route and we will carry out all the actions and legal means possible under the law in order to achieve the stoppage of this work and to achieve the cancellation of the permits which up until now have been granted in an irregular manner. We have lost one of a thousand battles. We will not give up.”

Carmen Alonzo President of the Piantini Neighbourhoods Board said that: “Violating so many regulations would set a serious precedent for the Santo Domingo system, causing multiple negative social and environmental impacts in Piantini and in Polígono Central and greater traffic in an already very congested area.”

In January 2016 Hard Rock International, revealed plans for its second hotel and casino in the Dominican Republic, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Santo Domingo, located in the capital. The full service hotel is scheduled to open this year, and will feature 400 hotel rooms and will be home to a 23,000 sq. ft. casino, screening room, and a nightclub opening up to the main pool. The casino will feature two bars, including Hard Rock’s signature Centre Bar, a race and sports book, high limit slots, 400 slot machines and 40 table games. A private gaming room on the exclusive suite floor will also be available for guests with select access.

However, opposition to the new project has been growing since February 2016 when a committee of school staff and residents in the neighbourhood of Piantini asked the Ministry of Finance to deny a licence for the casino. Locals argue that the construction violates a number of rules including irregularities over designated parking spaces. In addition they argue that the zone will be negatively affected by the construction of a casino and the height of the building itself. In July a number of neighbourhood councils reiterated their rejection due to the negative impact that the largest casino in the city would have on what is a primarily a residential zone.

However Manuel Fermín Cabral lawyer for Real Estate company Nivar, the company via which the City Council granted building permission for the project, told local press in October that the implementation of the project, had met with all the necessary requirements as set down by law and had been granted building permits by the City government as well as the Ministry of Tourism, The Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Public Works.