Albania Finalizes Online-Only Sports Betting Framework After Seven-Year Ban

Albania is set to partially reopen its sports betting market following a prohibition in place since 2019. The government completed the new regulatory framework in July 2026, clearing the path for up to 10 licensed online operators. Unregulated sports betting generated an estimated $126 million in GGR last year, according to reporting by iGaming Business.

The regime arrives more than two years after parliament passed reopening legislation in 2024. Prime Minister Edi Rama previously acknowledged that betting had continued to flourish underground despite the ban. Several details remain unresolved, including the precise start of licensing, the final number of licences, and whether prolonged prohibition has reduced demand.

Background to the 2018 Ban and Underground Activity

When parliament enacted the ban in 2018, the sports betting market recorded annual turnover of €700 million. 4,000 betting shops operated across a population of just over 2.8 million. Rama, citing risks of addiction in low-income households, alleged links to organised crime, and threats to sports integrity, told parliament the government was waging “a frontal war with the evil entrenched deeply in our society over the years.”

Betting did not cease. Gambling Compliance International estimated unregulated online sports betting GGR at $117 million in 2024, rising to $126 million in 2025. Including online casino and poker, total unregulated online GGR reached $229 million last year. Retail betting halls and all online verticals have remained prohibited since 2019.

Licence Criteria and Operational Rules

The framework confines activity to online betting; physical shops stay barred. Players must register using a national identity card with payments restricted to Albanian banks or licensed electronic providers. Operators are required to monitor transactions, retain records for at least three years, enforce a national self-exclusion register, and inform players of risks and support resources.

Entry demands are substantial. Applicants must register as an Albanian joint-stock company, demonstrate experience in at least three EU or OECD markets, show turnover of at least ALL2 billion (€20 million) in the prior financial year, and maintain share capital of ALL40 million (€400,000). Licences will be awarded on a points system that weights the bid for the minimum ALL400 million (€4 million) fee paid over the 10-year term, alongside experience, governance, technology, and business-plan criteria.

The government projects annual public revenues of around ALL2bn (€20 million), with 15% of GGR directed to a fund for culture, sport, technology and innovation. Operators will additionally face the standard 15% corporation tax plus local taxes. Legal observers note the criteria are structured to favour established international operators over local entities.

What Operators Must Weigh Next

The digital-only design eases government oversight but leaves open whether appetite has faded after seven years of prohibition. International operators that satisfy the multi-jurisdictional experience and capital thresholds may find manageable incremental costs and a points-based path to entry. Exact timing for the licensing round and the sustainable size of the legal market will determine whether this reopening delivers the intended shift from underground activity to supervised, revenue-generating operations.

Reporting: iGaming Business (iGB)

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