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The government of Albania is in the process of reopening the country’s online sports betting market with an already complete legal framework that would allow up to 10 operators to offer their products.
Since 2019, Albania has banned gambling in an effort to fight against the rise of betting shops and online gambling, while also heavily restricting casinos to only a limited number of hotels. The decision comes after the previous ban wasn’t able to effectively eliminate betting activity, as the industry moved into the unregulated market, which generated $126 million in illegal online sports betting revenue in 2025.
At the time when the prohibition was first introduced, Albania’s betting industry generated over $800 million in annual turnover, and more than 4,000 betting shops were available throughout the country.
The new framework has been in development since 2022, when Prime Minister Edi Rama revealed that the sector was still active despite the direct ban. As a result, the government passed legislation in 2024 to reopen the regulated industry.
Prime Minister Rama had previously commented:
“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.”
Under the new system, only online sports bets will be available, with cash bets remaining banned. Additionally, operators will pay around $4.5 million for a license and will face a 15% corporate tax.
However, the licensing process hasn’t yet started, and authorities haven’t announced a specific date for the launch of the market.
