Albania has completed the regulatory framework for the return of online sports betting, seven years after a blanket gambling ban pushed much of the market underground, but authorities have yet to open the licensing process.
The new regime will permit up to 10 online operators, while betting shops and slot halls will remain prohibited and casinos will continue to be restricted to certain five-star hotels. The Licensing Commission will decide how many licenses are initially offered.
“The system is legally ready, but the licensing process has not yet officially opened,” the Ministry of Finance told BIRN. Once the commission approves a competition, authorities must publish the call for applications within seven days, including in two international newspapers.
The uncertainty has raised concerns about market concentration. “The Licensing Commission could open a competition for one licence. In that case, we would have a monopoly. It could open one for three, let’s say, which would be almost an oligopoly,” businessman Endri Meksi told Balkan Insight.
Applicants must operate as Albanian joint-stock companies, have experience in at least three EU or OECD markets, annual turnover of at least ALL2 billion ($250 million), at least ALL40 million ($0.5 million) in share capital and ALL120 million ($1.5 million) as a guarantee for winners.
Licenses will be awarded through a points system covering the license fee, industry experience, governance, technology and a three-year business plan. The minimum license fee is ALL400 million ($5 million), payable over the 10-year license term. Operators will also pay 15% of GGR into a special fund for culture, sport, technology and innovation, alongside Albania’s 15% corporate tax and local taxes.
The government expects about ALL2 billion ($250 million) in annual public revenue. Meksi estimated the illegal betting market generates €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion) in annual turnover, while Gambling Compliance International estimated unregulated online sports betting GGR at $126 million in 2025 and total unregulated online gambling GGR, including casino and poker, at $229 million.
The scale of the illegal market reflects the limited impact of Albania’s 2019 ban. In 2018, sports betting turnover was about €700 million ($811 million), with more than 4,000 betting shops serving a population of just over 2.8 million.
“There were a lot of betting offices in Albania – everywhere, near schools and in local neighbourhoods,” said Hendri Hanaj of Hashtag Lawyers. “The government was forced to do something because it was getting out of control.”
Prime Minister Edi Rama acknowledged in 2022 that online betting remained widespread. “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,” Rama said.
The online-only system will require identity-card registration, prohibit cash betting and restrict payments to approved Albanian banks and payment providers. Operators must monitor transactions, retain player records for at least three years and enforce a national self-exclusion register.
However, concerns remain over addiction treatment. Albania has no dedicated gambling counseling or rehabilitation center. “Legalisation does not create addiction, but it increases access to an activity that is potentially very dangerous for part of the population,” psychiatrist Neli Demi said.
He added: “We do not have specialised centres for gambling addiction, we do not have national rehabilitation programs, and most patients are treated within general mental health services or in private practice. This means that help exists, but it is fragmented and insufficient.”