Gambling in Albania: Legal Status & Regulations 2025

Initially, the prohibition on in-person wagering appeared more enforceable, with the government closing some 4,300 bookmakers. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama initiated the prohibition to protect the youth from gambling addiction and target a significant funding activity for organized crime. The information provided on this page was accurate at the time of publication, but may not reflect the current regulatory landscape.

Gambling Licenses

However, online sportsbooks headquartered in other countries provided convenient access to pari-mutuel wagering pools and fixed-odds horse racing betting during the prohibition. Albania is in the process of reregulating online sports betting and issuing licenses to qualified operators. That same year, the government directed internet service providers to block citizens’ access to more than 600 Albanian sports betting sites it considered illegal. Under the new Albanian online sports betting law, the government will issue licenses to qualified domestic and international operators. In addition, the law will implement a minimum age to bet on sports, enforce wagering limits, and direct tax revenue to sports, culture, and youth initiatives.

Regulatory Authority

In 2018, the Albanian government instituted a blanket ban on sports betting and gambling except that which takes place inside licensed casinos. The government also considered establishing a state-backed monopoly over online sports betting and horse racing wagering. Albanian sports betting sites operate freely and openly under licenses issued by regulators in other countries. The government recently spent nearly five years trying to prohibit most forms of gambling, but the Albanian online betting industry persisted due to a lack of effective enforcement mechanisms. As a result, Albanian horse racing betting sites also endured a multiyear stretch under the general gambling prohibition enacted in 2018.

• All sports betting sites in Albania have pros and cons, but the following operators rank the best in overall quality.

Gambling Tax

• Albanian sports betting sites operate freely and openly under licenses issued by regulators in other countries.
• So, in 2022, the government agreed to reinstate online sports betting and in-person wagering, subject to a strict regulatory framework.

Today, fans can visit most major betting sites for horse racing wagering and live streaming video on events around the world. Albania’s best betting sites cover major events like the USA’s Kentucky Derby, the UK’s Grand National, Australia’s Melbourne Cup, and more. Albania’s sports betting laws are in a state of change as the government moves from a position of prohibition to one of regulation. But, just like authorities in many countries have discovered, banning online sports betting is usually a losing proposition. As a result, the Albanian government has changed its approach and is now moving forward with plans to establish a licensing process for online sportsbooks. As a result, the government relented and agreed to pass new https://albanianfreepress.al/ legislation to regulate the Albanian online betting industry rather than ban it.

Bet365 Albania

Even as the government mobilized thousands of police to tackle the gambling issue, it placed the state games supervisor under protection for fear of retaliation. Bet365 does not go out of its way to cater to Albanian customers, but it’s worth considering nonetheless because it is the most established betting site available to Albanians. Unlike most Albanian betting sites, Bet365 is a private company that still values customer service and maintains an overwhelmingly positive reputation among bettors. Eventually, the government found the prohibition unenforceable and ineffective at meeting its goals of reducing problem gambling and combating organized crime.