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Albania has some of the strictest gambling rules in the Balkans. This page breaks down what's legal, who can operate, how winnings are taxed, and what happens if you use an offshore site. Everything here is based on current Albanian law as of 2024.
Table of contents Albania made a big change in 2024. Sports betting came back to being lega. But only online. And only a few companies can do it legally.
The law that did this is called Law 18/2024. It started on March 27, 2024. Before this law, almost all gambling was banned. That ban started back in 2019.
Here's something interesting. Only 10 licenses exist in the whole country. Just ten. Getting one is really, really hard. Companies must jump over huge hurdles first. They need to be set up in Albania as a special type of business. They also need at least 40 million ALL saved up. That is a equal to around $500K. Plus, they must have already run gambling in three or more EU or OECD countries. Their sales must also reach 2 billion ALL from the year before. Albania wants to keep out bad actors.
So what can people bet on legally? Just sports. Online casinos? Nope. Poker rooms? Also no. Those are still against the law.
What about real, physical casinos? They still exist. But after 2019, the rules got tight. Casinos can only open inside 5-star hotels now. That shrunk the market a lot. Most casinos simply disappeared.
Albania's gambling setup has real good parts and bad parts. It depends a lot on what kind of player you are.
Albania's gambling rules are narrow by design. The government reopened sports betting in 2024 but kept everything else shut. Here's exactly what that means in practice.
Online sports betting, via licensed operators only
Land-based casinos, restricted to 5-star hotels
No other online gambling products are permitted
There are only 10 sports betting licenses available across the whole country. They last 10 years. Each one costs at least 400,000,000 ALL just to apply. Which is equal to around $5M. On top of that, operators must put up two separate financial guarantees. One is 120,000,000 ALL to cover player winnings. The other is 50,000,000 ALL for obligations to the authorities. Small companies cannot play in this market.
The experience rules are strict, too. Operators must prove they have run gambling businesses in at least three EU or OECD countries. Albania wants operators with a track record, not fresh startups.
Albania blocks gambling websites at the internet provider level. This started back in 2013. Then in 2019 it got much bigger. The telecom regulator AKEP blocked around 8,000 domains in one single round of enforcement. Blocking keeps going. If a site is not licensed in Albania, it has probably been blocked already.
Lots of Albanians still try to reach offshore gambling sites. The law goes after operators, not individual players. There is no confirmed evidence that Albanian citizens get prosecuted just for visiting an unlicensed site. But that does not make it safe. Sites can vanish without warning. Payments can fail. And if something goes wrong, you have zero legal protection. Players considering offshore options should understand how casino bonuses work in Albania before accepting any offer.
Licensed operators must register every single player. No anonymous gambling is allowed at all. Cash is banned, too. All payments must go through Albanian licensed banks. Either by e-money institutions or approved payment providers. Everything is traceable. That is a core part of how Albania fights money laundering.
A national self-exclusion register has been talked about. But no confirmed official system exists yet. Some operators may offer their own voluntary blocking tools. Nothing has been verified as a formal national scheme though.
Law 18/2024 puts limits on gambling ads. Time restrictions apply. Sports broadcasts get some allowances. The full secondary rules have not been published in an easy to find form, so the complete picture is still unclear. But one thing is certain. You cannot market gambling freely in Albania.
Timeline
2015 - Law 155/2015 is passed. Albania builds its first real legal framework for gambling.
2016 - A central online monitoring system called SQMO is introduced. It tracks operators in real time.
2018 - The government announces a full gambling shutdown. Crime, addiction, and money laundering are all cited. Casinos get pushed into 5-star hotels only. Betting shops and VLTs start closing.
2019 - The ban kicks in. AKEP blocks around 8,000 gambling domains. Albania basically exits the mass-market gambling world.
2023 - Law 29/2023 introduces a 15% tax on gambling winnings, starting January 1, 2024.
March 2024 - Law 18/2024 comes into force. Online sports betting returns under a tight 10-license system.
2024 to 2026 - Secondary legislation hits delays. The full regulatory framework is still being built out.
Albania's gambling story is one of extremes. The country went from a fairly open market to a near-total ban in just a few years. The 2019 shutdown came from real problems. Organized crime. Money laundering. A growing addiction crisis. The government was not wrong to act. The approach was blunt, but the issues were genuine.
The 2024 reopening feels more careful. Strict licensing, cashless payments, financial guarantees. These are not just cosmetic rules. They show what Albania learned from the earlier, looser era. The goal now is a gambling market the government can actually control and watch closely.
Albania is an EU candidate country. That matters a lot for gambling law. As Albania gets closer to joining the EU, its rules will need to match European standards. The EU does not have one single gambling law. But it does push hard for consumer protection, AML compliance, and responsible gambling measures. Albania is already hitting many of those targets.
The 10-license sports betting market is just the beginning. Future changes could open the door to other online products. Online casino games, poker, virtual sports. All of that is possible down the road. But nothing is guaranteed. Political will matters. So do the results of the licensing tender. Those two things will shape what happens next.
The delays in secondary legislation are worth keeping an eye on. Rules around advertising, responsible gambling tools, and self-exclusion are still being written. How those rules turn out will decide a lot. Albania could become a model for the whole region. Or it could stay a small, tightly controlled niche. Right now, it could go either way.
Online sports betting is legal in Albania under Law 18/2024, which came into force in March 2024. Only licensed operators can offer it, and just 10 licenses exist nationwide. All other forms of online gambling - casino games, poker, slots - remain illegal.
The official legal gambling age in Albania is 21. This comes from government sources and applies to all forms of gambling. Some third-party sites claim the age is 18 - that's wrong. ID verification is mandatory for all licensed operators.
Yes, many international casino sites are available. However, many international sites are blocked. Albania has been blocking unlicensed gambling domains since 2013, with around 8,000 blocked in 2019 alone. You might reach some sites via a VPN, but you get no legal protection if something goes wrong - and payments can fail too.
Gambling regulation in Albania involves several bodies. The FIU (Financial Intelligence Unit) and AMLF handle anti-money laundering oversight. AKEP, the telecom regulator, manages ISP blocking of unlicensed sites. The licensing tender itself is handled under the framework set by Law 18/2024.
Yes. Under Law 29/2023, Albania taxes gambling winnings at 15%. This applies from 1 January 2024 onward. You can't deduct losses or costs - the tax hits the gross win. Albanian residents are taxed on worldwide winnings, not just local ones.
Cash is banned for online gambling in Albania. All payments must go through licensed Albanian financial institutions - banks, e-money providers, or licensed payment companies. This rule applies to all legal operators and is a core part of the country's AML compliance framework.
Albania runs one of the most controlled gambling markets in the Balkans. Online sports betting is legal. Only with 10 licenses, strict eligibility rules, and cashless-only payments. Everything else online is off limits. Winnings get taxed at 15%. Offshore sites get blocked. Can you use offshore casinos? Well, the law targets operators, not players. But using unlicensed sites still carries real risks, if not done right. To explore what's available, check out our guide to online casinos in Albania.
