Albania physically it is situated between Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia to the north and northeast, and Greece at south. Albania has adopted and/or has been implementing a rather bulky legal framework applicable to gambling including Albania bookmakers and sports betting. This article explores features of gambling laws of Albania; its history, the government bodies, licensing procedures, taxes and legal information on sport betting and much more.
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Table of Contents
Summary of Key Events
Gambling Legislation in Albania
History of Gambling Laws
Albania’s journey with gambling laws has been turbulent and transformative:
- Pre-2015: Gambling activities prior to general legislation enactments were not much restricted, and this has raised campagns regarding addiction, and increase in criminal activities.
- 2015: The government enacted Law No. 155/2015 on Gambling, the main objective of this law was to effectively address and subsequently regulate the operations of gambling, land based and online gambling included.
- 2019: In a bid to reduce the social ill of gambling all forms of gambling were banned except for the casinos located in the physical premises.
- 2024: Amendments to Law no. 155/2015 legalizing the activities related to online sports betting meant a new step in the development of the industry.
Current Gambling Laws
As of 2024, the key legislation governing gambling activities in Albania includes:
- Law No. 155/2015: This law formed the basis on which gambling is regulated in the country.
- Law No. 18/2024: This amendment legalizes online sports betting provided that the online sports betting operators are licensed and regulated stringently.
Regulatory of Albania Bookmakers
The major regulating authority of the gambling sector in Albania is the Gambling Monitoring Group (Autoriteti i Mbikëqyrjes së Lojërave të Fatit). Its responsibilities include:
- Licensing of gambling operators.
- The monitoring of compliance to the set gambling laws.
- Supervising the operator activities.
- Measures be put in place through which some or all aspects of gambling can be prohibited to anyone who has a gambling problem.
Licensing Requirements
In Albania, no one can act as a bookmaker and to provide services in sports betting without having a license from the Ministry of Finance and the Gambling Monitoring Group. Key requirements include:
- Legal Entity: Must be legal based and registered as a joint stock company in Albania with a minimum of 40 million ALL (about 400,000 EUR).
- Experience: It is mandatory that person needs to have gambling experience in at least three EU/OECD countries for at least three years.
- Turnover: Must have revenues from gambling operations during the last fiscal year that are at least 2 billion ALL (approx. EUR 19. 8 million).
- Guarantee Funds: To pay the winners, operators must have a guarantee fund of 120,000,000 ALL (approximately EUR 1. 2 million) and for the period obligations of 50,000,000 ALL (approximately EUR 500,000). .
License and Fees of Albania Bookmakers
The categories of licensing fees for different gambling activities are as follows:
- Sports Betting: 200,000,000 ALL for the entire license period encompassing the right to open up to 1000 secondary mail addresses.
- TV Bingo: The total amount of all license fees being 40,000,000 ALL shall be paid for the entire license period.
- Casino: 300 thousand ALL for one year for the right to have one room opened, which shows that the entire license period refers to only one room.
- Casino in Five-Star Hotels: 70,000,000 ALL for the respectively time period of the license.
- Resort Casino: Thus, analyzing the payment terms of the license agreement in the amount of 50 million ALL for the entire license period, Elmayer’s reaction seems to be quite logical.
- National Lottery: Overall for the license period, it has been established that the client would pay one billion ALL.
The license fee is continued in equal proportions starting from issuance of the license up to the period of time agreed upon.
Taxes on Gambling Activities
The taxes on gambling activities in Albania are generalised for all the forms of gambling and amount to 15 % of the gross proceeds. The foregoing taxation acts are associated with a taxation rate that is common to both land-based and online gambling enterprises.
Sports Betting in Albania
Allowed and Prohibited Bets
The recent amendments to Albania’s gambling laws have introduced clear guidelines on the types of bets allowed:
- Allowed Bets: Online wagering is legal although it’s credible only if it’s under a license.
- Prohibited Bets: All other forms of gambling are prohibited and any bets placed, on any prohibited events would not be accepted. Specifically, the advertisement of gambling establishments in the media is also banned.
Online Sports Betting
Online sports betting in Albania is a burgeoning sector, driven by the following regulations and requirements:
- Licenses: Online sports betting license will be 10 and will be competed for.
- Application Fee: The minimum which needs to be paid is 400,000,000 ALL (approximately EUR 3. 9 million) and this fee is divided in equal portions annually for the term of the license period.
- Eligibility: The applicants can be legal entities or several consortia, domestic or foreign, which meet the required criteria.
Popular Online Betting Platforms
The Albanian market has a long list of online betting websites; however, the first authorized bookmaker in the country is Xhoilotto entering the Albanian market in 2013. Albanian casinos do not have their own developed software producers, but games from foreign companies, such as IGT, Playtech, and NetEnt, are preferred amongst the Albanian population.
Sporting Milestones
Several key sporting milestones have influenced Albania’s sports betting landscape:
- 2015: The provision of Law No. 155/2015 concerning legal operation of gambling.
- 2019: Le enactment of a policy that has an outright ban on all forms of gambling with an exception of the physical casinos.
- 2022: First piece of draft legislation that would reinstate US Internet gambling.
- February 2024: Which is perchance the reason why the government of the Republic of Lithuania approved the adoption of law no. 18/2024, permitting Internet-based sports betting.
- March 2024: The start of licensed online sports betting comes enforcement of the new amendments.
Conclusion
The Albanian gambling market, especially the segment of bookmakers and sports betting is on the eve of the phase of regulated development and modernization. Adding changes to the current laws, setting definite licensing provisions and with the emergence of online betting in sports, the gambling industry in Albania will certainly prove to be a potential competitor in the South Eastern Europe.
The comprehensive legislation guarantees the preservation of the mentioned activities, being legal and fair, thereby providing a positive contribution to the development of the economy as well as the players. Entering the Albanian market entails keen following of several regulations and compliance therefore a perfect understanding of these is important in the process.
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