Albania Prepares to Reopen Regulated Online Sports Betting Market
The government establishes a legal framework capping licences at 10 operators to combat illicit gambling and recover tax revenue.
Albania is moving to relaunch its regulated online sports betting market under an updated legal structure that allows up to 10 commercial operators to obtain licences.
The decision marks a policy shift following a total ban on betting shops and online gambling introduced in 2019, which restricted land-based casino activity strictly to high-end hotels. The blanket prohibition failed to eliminate market demand, shifting betting activity into black-market channels that generated an estimated $126m in illicit online sports betting revenue in 2025.
Prior to the 2019 ban, Albania’s gambling market generated more than $800m in annual turnover across more than 4,000 retail venues nationwide.
Regulatory Evolution and Rationale
Efforts to reform the sector began in 2022 after Prime Minister Edi Rama acknowledged the persistence of underground betting networks despite strict prohibition measures. Parliament subsequently enacted legislative changes in 2024 to re-establish a legal market.
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,
Prime Minister Rama previously stated regarding the reform initiative.
Operational Framework and Financial Requirements
The updated regulatory framework imposes strict entry requirements and restricts permissible product verticals:
| Regulatory Parameter | Structural Detail |
| Operator Limit | Maximum of 10 commercial licences |
| Permitted Verticals | Online sports betting only (retail cash betting remains banned) |
| Licence Fee | ~$4.5m per operator |
| Tax Rate | 15% corporate tax rate |
While the legal architecture is complete, Albanian authorities have not yet initiated the formal licensing application process or confirmed a target market launch date.
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