Albania ends ban on sports betting – at least in part

The move is intended to rein in the black market.

Albania.- The Albanian parliament has voted to end the country’s ban on sports betting in a bid to halt the growth of the unlicensed market after five years. The restriction was introduced in January 2019 as part of a ban on almost all gambling in residential areas in preparation for European Union entry. Since then, only a few land-based casinos have had special permits to offer gaming.

However, it appears that the ban will only be lifted on online sports betting. Licences will be issued to 10 companies “with previous experience”.

In a press announcement on Thursday, the parliament said that the decision had been approved by all 75 members of parliament present for the session.

Before the 2018 ban, sports betting was mainly conducted in cafes belonging to three licensees. It was a popular pastime, with 4,214 sports betting cafes registered when the ban was imposed. It’s believed that many venues continued to operate clandestinely after the ban.

Albanian sports federations had been calling for an end to the ban, citing a loss of potential sources of funding. The government of Albania began reviewing a draft law that would end the country’s gambling ban in April of last year.