Legal Pathways Open for the Relaunch of Online Sports Betting

Two full years after the approval of gambling legislation, the executive has finalized the necessary regulations, giving the green light to the start of the licensing process for digital sports betting operators on Albanian territory.

While the regulatory framework is now complete, authorities have not yet announced a concrete date for when the tender will be opened for interested entities. The entire mechanism will be set in motion as soon as the Licensing Commission formally approves the launch of the competition.

Legal provisions stipulate the distribution of a maximum of 10 licenses for entities that will administer sports betting activities on online platforms.

Furthermore, the legislation sets rigorous conditions for candidates aspiring to obtain a license. According to Article 22 of the act approved in February 2024, each company must possess an initial capital of 40 million lek and prove experience in the gambling sector in at least three European Union member states.

A key innovation of the new scheme lies in the fact that this type of gambling will be conducted exclusively in virtual environments. Each client will be verified through an identity document, while the platform will record in detail every action of participants and apply advanced algorithms for calculating winnings, with the aim of ensuring greater transparency and oversight.

The return of sports betting in electronic format comes nearly seven years after the closure of physical agencies across the country, an operation undertaken as part of the initiative dubbed the “End of the Madness.”