Albanian Sports Betting

In October 2018, Albania’s parliament passed a law banning sports betting beginning in January 2019 in a bid to tackle addiction among gamblers and match fixing in sport competitions, while also protecting household finances.

In October 2022, the Albanian government said it hoped to relaunch sports betting after a decree signed by Albanian sports bodies petitioned the Kuvendi (Parliament) to reinstate sports betting “under a well-regulated and supervised regime.”

In February 2024, Parliament adopted Law No. 18/2024 amending the Gambling Law and overturning the five-year ban on sports betting; the amendments entered into force on 27 March 2024 and allow only online sports betting, with no return of retail betting shops.

The new regime provides for up to 10 online sports-betting licenses, awarded via a competitive tender, with each license lasting 10 years and requiring a minimum license fee of 400,000,000 ALL (about EUR 3.9 million) plus strict AML, player-protection and advertising controls.