Albania is preparing to bring sports betting back inside the law — but only online, and only for a maximum of 10 licensed operators. The framework ends seven years of blanket prohibition that closed roughly 4,000 betting shops without ever stopping the wagering itself.
Key takeaways
- Up to 10 online sports betting licences, each running 10 years.
- Retail betting shops and slot halls stay banned; casinos remain limited to five-star hotels.
- Minimum licence fee of ALL400 million (~€4 million), payable in instalments.
- Applicants need experience in three EU/OECD markets and ~€20 million prior-year turnover.
- 15% of GGR goes to a culture, sport, technology and innovation fund, on top of 15% corporation tax.
- Unregulated online GGR was estimated at $229 million in 2025 across betting, casino and poker.
The reopening reverses a prohibition introduced in 2019 that swept betting shops, slot halls and online gambling out of the legal market in one move. What it did not do was end the activity. Estimates put unregulated online sports betting gross gaming revenue at $117 million in 2024 and $126 million in 2025; add online casino and poker and the figure for last year climbs to $229 million.
Before the ban, the retail scene was enormous relative to the country's size. In 2018, when parliament voted the prohibition through, annual sports betting turnover stood at €700 million and around 4,000 betting shops served a population of slightly more than 2.8 million.
"There were a lot of betting offices in Albania – everywhere, near schools and in local neighbourhoods. The government was forced to do something because it was getting out of control."
— Hendri Hanaj, Founder and Partner, Hashtag Lawyers
Participation was broad rather than deep, Hanaj notes: "Everyone was betting. Not hundreds or thousands of euros, but everyone was betting in small amounts."
Addiction concerns and the strain on lower-income households drove the policy. Prime Minister Edi Rama also pointed to sports integrity risks and alleged ties between certain betting businesses and organised crime, telling parliament in October 2018 that the country was "waging a frontal war with the evil entrenched deeply in our society over the years."
Digital only — the high street stays closed
Legal betting returns exclusively in digital form. Betting shops and slot halls remain outlawed, and casinos continue to be confined to a small number of five-star hotels.
The rethink began once it became clear the offshore channel had simply absorbed the demand. Rama conceded as much in 2022:
"We are talking about taking this activity out of the black economy and bringing the profits into the light, because nobody can block it – not even China."
— Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania
Parliament passed the enabling legislation in 2024, and authorities confirmed in July 2026 that all eight required implementing regulations were complete. The Council of Ministers had already adopted Decision No. 194 on 26 March 2026, setting out the competitive tender for online betting licences; it took effect on 30 March after publication in the Official Gazette.
The Gambling Supervisory Authority will run the single-stage process alongside the Licensing Commission, which decides how many permits to issue in each round within the nationwide cap of 10. Applicants get 45 calendar days from the date in the competition notice to file, plus a non-refundable application fee of ALL500,000 (roughly €5,100).
A bar set for international operators
Entrants must incorporate as Albanian joint-stock companies, prove gambling experience across at least three EU or OECD markets, post turnover of at least ALL2 billion (~€20 million) in the previous financial year, and hold share capital of at least ALL40 million (~€400,000).
Scoring runs on a 100-point scale: up to 30 points for the economic offer, 30 for sector experience, 20 for organisational and administrative capacity, 15 for technology and software, and five for a business plan spanning at least three years. Ties are broken by lottery — participants must be notified in advance, though an absentee does not void the draw.
The licence fee itself is bid-determined, with a floor of ALL400 million (about €4 million) payable in instalments across the 10-year term. The call for applications must be advertised domestically and internationally, including in two international newspapers.
"There are a lot of conditions to get the licence and no Albanian company, at least, would be able to meet them – or at least none that are interested in betting. It's not that Albanian companies are not capable – of course they are capable of being compliant. I think the government is looking for companies that have been doing this for many years, which would be better for the market."
— Hendri Hanaj, Hashtag Lawyers
Traceable money, identified players
The online-only design hands regulators far better visibility than the shop network ever allowed. Players must register with a national identity card, cash wagering stays prohibited, and payments have to move through Albanian banks, licensed e-money institutions or approved payment providers.
Operators are required to monitor transactions, keep player records for a minimum of three years, and honour the national self-exclusion register — which, according to reports, family members will be able to invoke on a relative's behalf. Licensees must also publish information on gambling risks and winning probabilities and signpost support services, though Albania still has no dedicated gambling counselling or rehabilitation centre.
Enforcement rules finalised in June bite on repeat offenders: two breaches within three years can trigger a suspension of between 30 days and two years, during which no bets may be accepted, and a third violation can cost the licence outright.
What the state expects to earn — and what it doesn't know yet
Licensees will channel 15% of GGR into a special fund for culture, sport, technology and innovation, on top of Albania's standard 15% corporation tax plus local taxes and licensing costs. The government projects around ALL2 billion (~€20 million) a year in public revenue from the regulated market.
The open questions are timing and scale: when the first licensing round runs, how many of the 10 permits the commission awards initially, and how much regulated demand actually survives seven years of prohibition.
"There is an appetite for sports, but it has faded over time," Hanaj says. "People like my father, or my cousins who are older than me, like sports more. Of course, people will bet, but I don't think it will be as massive as before." He also expects the digital structure to prove "easier for the government to monitor and control."
Albania's population has slipped from about 2.8 million in 2018 to roughly 2.75 million today. Even so, Hanaj argues that manageable licensing costs and low incremental expenses could keep the market attractive to established international operators — drawing a comparison with the country's banking sector: "There are around 12 banks in Albania and I don't think the market supports that. But they are still here and still working."
