Albania will license up to 10 online sports betting operators under Decision No. 194, ending a blanket gambling ban in place since 2019.
The decision was adopted on 26 March 2026 and entered into force on 30 March. The Gambling Supervisory Authority (AMLF) completed the last of eight implementing regulations in July 2026, which clears the way for a licensing competition. No start date has been published.
Only online sports betting returns. Betting shops, slot halls and land-based casinos stay prohibited, with casinos permitted only inside five-star hotels.
What a licence costs
Applicants must be Albanian joint-stock companies with gambling experience in at least three EU or OECD markets. The framework sets a minimum annual turnover of €20 million (ALL 2 billion) and minimum share capital of €400,000 (ALL 40 million).
The non-refundable application fee is ALL 500,000, around €5,100 at current rates. The minimum licence fee is ALL 400 million, around €4 million. Licences run for 10 years.
Operators pay 15% of GGR into a special fund for culture, sport, technology and innovation, on top of the standard 15% corporate income tax. The government estimates the regime will raise about €20 million a year.
How applications will be scored
AMLF runs a single-stage competitive procedure alongside a Licensing Commission, scoring applicants out of 100 points: 30 for the economic offer, 30 for industry experience, 20 for organisational and administrative capacity, 15 for technological and software capability, and 5 for the business plan. Applicants are ranked in descending order by total score, and ties are settled by lottery.
Applications close 45 calendar days after the competition notice is published.
Payments, ID checks and self-exclusion
Deposits and withdrawals must move through Albanian banks, licensed e-money institutions or other approved payment providers. Cash wagering is prohibited. Players register with a national ID card, and operators must keep player records for at least three years.
The framework also requires a national self-exclusion register, and family members can request that a player be excluded. That package puts Albania close to the channeling-plus-protection model other European governments are now writing into law, including Greece’s reform bill targeting the black market.
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