Albania is ending its seven-year gambling ban on online betting

[Valge]

In 2018, before the ban, Albania had 4,000 betting shops across a country of 2.8 million people. Parliament banned everything in 2019. By 2022, Prime Minister Edi Rama publicly acknowledged that online betting was still thriving despite the prohibition. By 2025, unregulated online sports betting GGR was estimated at $126 million. Including casino and poker, the wider grey market reached around $229 million.

So now Albania is bringing it back. Up to 10 licences, €4 million licence fee for 10 years, operators must be Albanian joint-stock companies with gambling experience in at least three EU or OECD markets and annual turnover above €20 million. Cash betting banned, identity card registration mandatory. The Ministry of Finance confirmed all eight secondary laws are approved. Licensing just hasn't opened yet, and no launch date has been set.

The €20 million revenue projection is relatively modest for a market this size, and the 15% GGR levy going into a culture and sports fund is an interesting structural choice.

Curious whether anyone here thinks 10 licences is the right cap for a market that was generating €700 million in turnover before prohibition?

https://igamingbusiness.com/sports-b...nal-operators/

[FanieZevgolis]

I actually came across this story myself and was not particularly surprised, because we have seen similar patterns elsewhere in the past.

I generally favour responsible regulation over outright prohibition. Albania is another good example of why. Betting did not disappear after the ban, it simply continued through an unregulated market.

We have seen similar effects with other prohibited or heavily restricted products, where demand remains but shifts towards illegal suppliers. South Africa’s cigarette and alcohol restrictions during COVID are one example of how quickly illicit markets can grow when legitimate supply is removed.

Gambling obviously carries genuine risks and I would never suggest otherwise. But I think strong regulation, transparency, responsible gambling measures and enforcement against unregulated markets are generally more effective than trying to eliminate an established market completely.

As for the 10-licence limit in Albania, it does seem restrictive for a market that previously generated significant betting turnover, but I can understand why Albania may want to reopen cautiously and see how the regulated market develops.