In this paper the optical and photoluminescence properties of Dy3+ doped magnesium barium phosphate (MgO-BaO-P2O5; MgDy) glass systems have been reported in different concentration of Dy2O3. The glass samples were prepared by the conventional melt-quenching technique at 1200 °C. The absorption spectra at 446, 753, 804, 901, 1092, 1272 and 1680 nm respectively were observed in the visible and near-infrared region. The emission spectra of Dy3+ doped glasses centered at 482, 574, 662 and 751 nm, respectively have been observed with 350 nm excitation wavelength. Also, Judd-Ofelt (J-O) parameters Ωλ (λ = 2, 4 and 6) have been calculated for all glass samples.