Haiti regulators: MEF, LEH and Minturism

Haiti is one of the few countries in the Caribbean that has historically developed a fragmented architecture for overseeing the gaming industry: the financial and fiscal vertical is concentrated in the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), and the relevant sectoral regulator of gaming services is the Haitian Lottery - Loterie de l'État Haïtien (LEH), located in the MEF perimeter as a state-owned enterprise. In parallel, the Ministry of Tourism forms the standards of the hotel industry and the service ecosystem - an important environment for casinos and entertainment complexes.

1) Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF): Fiscal "umbrella" and curator of LEH

MEF forms and conducts the economic and budgetary and tax policy of the state, overseeing a wide range of state-owned enterprises and financial institutions. Among the subordinate structures is the Haiti Lottery (LEH), directly mentioned in the official list of "Liens utiles" on the ministry's website. This confirms the institutional link: it is the MEF that provides coordination, budgetary control and the political-regulatory architecture in which the LEH acts as the regulator of games.

In recent years, international partners (including the IMF) have emphasized the need for increased transparency and administration of public sector revenues - the context is important for understanding why the functions of overseeing the gambling market are grouped under the MEF.

2) Haiti Lottery (LEH): Unified Gaming Regulator

LEH is the regulator and administrator of the country's gambling system, from lotteries and traditional "borlette" to casinos and betting products. Historically, the powers of LEH go back to the decrees of the second half of the 20th century, which enshrined the exclusive competence of the state in the field of games; modern official communications explicitly state that LEH is the "sole regulator" of games in Haiti.

• licensing/admission of operators and points of sale, administration of payments and fees;
• control and suppression of illegal online and offline operations (public "Avis/NOTICE" on bans on specific sites and services);
• development of digital services for operators (launch of the official LEH digital platform from October 1, 2025 to interact with market participants).

The regulator regularly publishes regulations prohibiting the activities of companies operating "bypassing the law" on games (for example, cases of 2023), which demonstrates real law enforcement and a claim to coverage, including the online sector.

3) Ministry of Tourism: hotel standards and casino environment

Although the Ministry of Tourism does not regulate gambling as such, it defines the rules and standards for tourist infrastructure - hotels, resorts, restaurants, where casinos could historically be located. Since 2013, the ministry has been introducing the Hibiscus classification system (from 1 to 5 hibiscuses) as a national alternative to stars - it is a quality control and certification tool for accommodation facilities that affects the working conditions of entertainment venues.

The practical application of Hibiscus was confirmed by assigning ratings to individual hotels (including metropolitan facilities), which emphasizes the role of the ministry in standardizing service, security and infrastructure requirements - important for any casino resort.

4) "Docking" of supervision: how MEF/LEH and Minturism interact

Registration and financial control: operators of lotteries and gambling services interact with LEH (licensing, fees, reporting). Through the supervision of MEF, coordination with fiscal policy and the fight against illegal cash circulation is increased.

Infrastructure and service: accommodation facilities applying for a casino format fall under the standards of the Ministry of Tourism (classification, inspections), which affects the category of the facility and the tourist attractiveness of the destination.

Digitalization and compliance: the LEH digital platform from 2025 facilitates accounting, monitoring and communication with the market. This is a step towards unification of data and increased transparency.

5) Key challenges and reform vectors

Illegal/gray sector: LEH is forced to regularly suppress "online initiatives" without permits - from one-time platforms to organized networks. The load on control units remains high.

Fiscal discipline and government revenues: international reviews indicate the need to strengthen public sector revenue management, which includes revenues from games. Strengthening the MEF and LEH processes is directly related to the quality of administration.

Tourist infrastructure: the sustainability of Hibiscus standards and the update of regulations in conjunction with safety, personnel and service is critical for the restoration of a tourist product, within which conditions for legitimate casino projects are formed.

6) What's important for operators and investors to know

1. A single point for games is LEH, operating under the MEF "umbrella." Check official notices and registration/payment requirements.

2. Hotel standards - through the Ministry of Tourism: for resort projects, take into account the Hibiscus system and the inspection procedure.

3. Online activity requires extra caution: LEH regularly bans unlicensed platforms and reminds of its exclusive competence.

4. LEH digital platform (from 01. 10. 2025) - a landmark for the transition to electronic document management and compliance.

Conclusion: in Haiti, gambling control is institutionally concentrated around LEH under the supervision of MEF, and the Ministry of Tourism is responsible for standards and infrastructure classification where these games can be provided. For sustainable work in the market, it is critical to comply with LEH requirements and synchronize projects with the hotel regulations of the Ministry of Tourism - this reduces regulatory risks and increases confidence in the product.