Legal casino gambling age in AlbaniaAlbania went from one of the most permissive gambling markets in the Western Balkans to one of the most restrictive within a few years. Law No. 155/2015 on games of chance created a licensing system run by a supervisory authority under the Ministry of Finance. In October 2018 Parliament amended it with Law No. 75/2018. From 1 January 2019 the amendment closed the country’s betting shops and gaming halls and confined casinos to internationally branded five-star hotels and resorts. Law No. 18/2024 then reopened one segment, online sports betting, through a maximum of ten licences. The Council of Ministers completed the implementing rules in June 2026, but no licence had been issued at the time of review. No online casino licence category is in use, and the regulator states that it has licensed no operator of online games of chance.
Key points
- The principal statute is Law No. 155/2015 “On games of chance in the Republic of Albania” of 21 December 2015, amended by Laws No. 140/2016, No. 75/2018 and No. 18/2024.
- Since 1 January 2019 betting shops and gaming halls have been closed. Land-based casinos may operate only in internationally certified five-star hotels and resort complexes; the regulator lists nine authorisations of this kind and one general casino licence.
- Law No. 18/2024 allows up to ten online sports betting licences of ten years each, with a minimum licence fee of ALL 400 million. As of 6 October 2026 the regulator’s register shows no licensee and no tender had been reported.
- The regulator is the Gambling Supervision Authority (Autoriteti i Mbikëqyrjes së Lojërave të Fatit, AMLF), which operates under the Minister of Finance and may request the blocking of unlicensed gambling websites.
- The minimum age is 21, except for the national lottery and televised bingo (18). The national lottery licence has been vacant since the previous concession expired.
Last reviewed: 6 October 2026.
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Historical development
Before 2015 gambling in Albania was governed by Law No. 10033 of 11 December 2008, which the regulator’s legislation page now lists as archived. Law No. 155/2015, adopted on 21 December 2015, replaced it with a licensing system covering sports betting, betting on track races, casinos, remote electronic games, resort casinos, a national lottery and televised bingo (original text of Law No. 155/2015). By 2018 betting shops had spread across Albanian towns. Top Channel reported in October 2018 that about 4,500 betting points were operating and that roughly 9,000 jobs depended on them.
In 2018 the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama proposed closing most of this market. Parliament adopted the amending Law No. 75/2018 on 25 October 2018, with 75 votes from the governing majority according to Lapsi.al. European Gaming reported that President Ilir Meta signed it on 12 November 2018. According to the Anadolu Agency, operators in the categories “sports betting”, “betting on track races” and “remote electronic games” had until 31 December 2018 to stop operating, and audiovisual advertising of sports betting during sports broadcasts was banned. The law took effect on 1 January 2019. Gaming venues could continue only by moving into five-star hotels. Reporting in July 2026, Lexo.al put the number of betting locations closed at 4,214.
In September 2020 Deputy Prime Minister Erion Braçe said the ban would stay in place. He explained that a new Council of Ministers decision only implemented the 2018 law by defining the zones where hotel casinos could operate and the licensing procedure (Shqiptarja.com, 14 September 2020). Policy shifted in 2023. On 19 July 2023 the Council of Ministers approved a bill to reintroduce sports betting in online form only (Shqiptarja.com). Parliament passed it on 15 February 2024 as Law No. 18/2024.
Legal framework
Law No. 155/2015 as amended
The AMLF publishes a consolidated Albanian text and an English translation incorporating Law No. 140/2016 of 22 December 2016, Law No. 75/2018 of 25 October 2018 and Law No. 18/2024 of 15 February 2024. The main provisions are:
- Article 1 states that the organisation, conduct and intermediation of games of chance, online sports betting and the lottery is “the responsibility of the state”. The state exercises this through licensing and supervision.
- Article 5 lists the categories for which companies may be licensed: online sports betting, betting on track races, casinos and casinos in five-star hotels, remote electronic games, resort casinos, the national lottery and televised bingo.
- Article 6 forbids operators to admit or employ anyone under 21, with an exception for the national lottery and televised bingo, where the minimum is 18. It also requires identity checks, a player register kept for three years, and an electronic register of persons excluded from gambling.
- Article 7 requires a minimum distance of 100 metres in a straight line between gambling premises and schools or religious institutions.
- Article 8 concerns games offered without a licence and allows the AMLF to request immediate blocking of the websites concerned.
- Article 9 regulates advertising (see below), and Article 14 requires licensees to pay the AMLF 3% of gross gaming revenue, but no less than ALL 1.5 million a year, to fund supervision.
- Articles 17/1 and 27/1, added in 2024, establish a Licensing Commission and cap online sports betting licences at ten.
Article 5 of the consolidated text still names “betting on track races” and “remote electronic games” as categories. The regulator, however, publishes licensee lists only for casinos, five-star hotel casinos, televised bingo, the national lottery and online sports betting (AMLF, licensed entities). Press reports from 2019 describe track race betting as one of the activities that ended on 31 December 2018. We found no licensed racecourse or track betting operator, and no source explaining whether a new licence in that category could be issued.
Other relevant legislation
The AMLF’s legislation page also lists Law No. 95/2013 of 4 March 2013, which ratified the national lottery licence agreement; Law No. 9917 of 19 May 2008 on the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing; the Criminal Code; and Law No. 29/2023 on income tax. Implementing rules are made by Council of Ministers decisions (VKM). Those listed by the regulator include VKM No. 690 of 2 September 2020 on casino licensing procedures (amended by VKM No. 312 of 4 June 2025), and a 2026 package for online betting: VKM No. 114 of 27 February 2026 on the electronic register of excluded persons, VKM No. 151 of 11 March 2026 on technical standards, VKM No. 194 of 26 March 2026 on licensing criteria and procedure, and VKM No. 488 of 26 June 2026 on suspension and revocation of licences (AMLF, Council of Ministers decisions).
Regulator and licensing model
Under Article 10 of Law No. 155/2015 the Gambling Supervision Authority (AMLF) is a public legal entity based in Tirana and subordinate to the Minister of Finance. It monitors licensees, keeps the registers and imposes administrative measures. Since 2024 licences have been awarded by a Licensing Commission. Kapitali reported that it is chaired by a Ministry of Finance representative and sits for four-year terms.
Albania follows a restricted licensing model: private companies, rather than a state monopoly, may apply for licences, but only for a narrow set of products, several of them capped in number.
| Sector | Legal position | Licensees listed by AMLF (October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Casinos in five-star hotels | Permitted in internationally certified five-star hotels in tourist zones of national importance | Eight companies, one with two locations |
| Casino (general category) | Permitted | One, in Tirana |
| Resort casinos | Permitted in complexes with at least two casinos and five integrated five-star hotels | None listed |
| National lottery | One exclusive ten-year licence | None |
| Online sports betting | Up to ten ten-year licences | None |
| Betting shops, gaming halls, online casino | Not licensed | None |
Sources: AMLF lists for five-star hotel casinos, casinos, the national lottery and online sports betting; consolidated Law No. 155/2015. Of the hotel casino entries for which a location is given, all but one are in Tirana; the other is in Korçë.
Online sports betting licences
According to the consolidated law and a summary of Law No. 18/2024 by Karanovic & Partners, an online sports betting licence:
- is awarded through a competitive procedure, up to a maximum of ten nationally, for ten years;
- requires a minimum licence fee of ALL 400 million, payable in instalments, with the economic offer forming part of the competition;
- is open only to joint-stock companies registered in Albania with minimum share capital of ALL 40 million;
- requires at least three years’ gambling experience in at least three EU or OECD states and gambling turnover of at least ALL 2 billion in the last financial year, either by the applicant or by a shareholder holding at least 30%;
- requires a guarantee of ALL 120 million for players’ winnings and a further ALL 50 million guarantee for the operator’s obligations.
VKM No. 194 of 26 March 2026 sets the scoring. Law firm Oikonomakis Law (IR Global) summarises it as 30 points for the economic offer, 30 for experience, 20 for organisational capacity, 15 for technology and 5 for the business plan, with a non-refundable application fee of ALL 500,000.
The national lottery
Following a 2012 tender, Austrian Lotteries won a ten-year national lottery licence, ratified by Parliament through Law No. 95/2013 (Gaming Intelligence). Transparency International recorded allegations at the time that the tender criteria had favoured the winner. Novomatic acquired the operating company, Lotaria Kombëtare, on 1 December 2016. Ditar.al reported in September 2023 that the operator had not sought renewal after accumulating losses of about ALL 3.4 billion by the end of 2022. The government then proposed cutting the lottery licence fee from ALL 1 billion to ALL 500 million and the capital requirement from ALL 1.2 billion to ALL 40 million. The consolidated law now sets a minimum lottery fee of ALL 500 million. Under Law No. 18/2024 the lottery licence is approved by the Licensing Commission rather than by Parliament (Reporter.al). The AMLF register states that no entity currently holds a national lottery licence.
Online gambling: what is permitted and how it is enforced
Online sports betting is the only form of online gambling for which Albanian law currently provides an active licensing route, and no operator holds such a licence yet. Online casino games are not offered under any Albanian licence. In a notice of 28 April 2026 the AMLF stated that it “has not licensed any entity in the Republic of Albania in the category ‘Online games of chance'”. It warned the public about social media advertisements for online casinos, lotteries and sports betting, which it had reported to the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority (AKEP) and the State Police.
Once licences are issued, the law requires online betting operators to register every player in advance using an identity document, to accept no cash and to receive payments only through banks and licensed payment or electronic money institutions in Albania. Platforms must be monitored by the AMLF in real time (Karanovic & Partners; consolidated law, Article 26).
Blocking and criminal enforcement
Blocking means an instruction to internet service providers to make a website unreachable from within the country. Article 8 of the law allows the AMLF to request it through the communications regulator. When the 2019 ban took effect, AKEP ordered providers to block 476 gambling websites, issuing lists on 4, 7 and 10 January 2019. It relied on the electronic communications law (No. 9918/2008), Law No. 155/2015 as amended by Law No. 75/2018, and its own general authorisation regulation (Shqiptarja.com, 12 January 2019). IR Global states that unlicensed operation is referred for prosecution under Article 197 of the Criminal Code and reports that more than a thousand sites have been blocked. We could not verify that figure from an official source.
Blocking has not removed demand. Using data from Gaming Compliance International, iGaming Business reported in August 2026 that unregulated online sports betting generated about US$117 million in gross gaming revenue (GGR, stakes less winnings paid) from Albanian players in 2024 and US$126 million in 2025, or about US$229 million in 2025 including online casino and poker. These are commercial estimates, not official statistics.
Advertising
Article 9 of the consolidated law bans gambling publicity in the print and audiovisual media except as the law allows. Audiovisual advertising of online sports betting is permitted only between 22:00 and 08:00, and advertising for the lottery and televised bingo between 18:00 and 08:00. Advertisements must carry a mandatory warning that gambling creates addiction and that players should take care when playing continuously, and gambling premises may display only an identification sign outside. Licensed gambling operators may sponsor sports teams and advertise where sport is played, except at events for under-21 categories, but the consolidated text bars operators licensed for online sports betting from sponsoring sports teams.
Position of players
Albania’s gambling law is aimed at operators. In the original and consolidated texts of Law No. 155/2015 we found no provision that makes it an offence for a person to place a bet or play casino games with an operator that is not licensed in Albania. Nor did we find any reported prosecution or fine of a player for doing so. The obligations on age, identification and premises fall on operators. Using unlicensed websites is nevertheless not a lawful or protected activity. Such operators are outside AMLF supervision, the guarantee funds that secure winnings, and the national exclusion register. People under 21 may not enter casinos or take part in sports betting, and people under 18 may not play the lottery or televised bingo.
Taxation
Operators
Gambling operators pay several levies. The General Directorate of Taxes administers gambling taxes using a dedicated declaration form under Administrative Instruction No. 18 of 14 May 2018. The main charges confirmed by our sources are:
- Supervision fee: 3% of gross gaming revenue, at least ALL 1.5 million a year, paid to the AMLF (Article 14).
- Special Fund: according to press reports, licensed online sports betting operators must pay 15% of gross gaming revenue each month into a Special Fund for sport, culture, innovation and technology (Albanian Daily News; Yogonet). A Council of Ministers decision of 26 June 2026 governs its administration.
- Corporate income tax: operators are also subject to Albania’s standard 15% corporate income tax (Yogonet).
For hotel casinos, a Ministry of Finance draft put to public consultation between 4 April and 4 May 2023 proposed cutting the tax on electronic games and slot machines from 25% to 15% of gross gaming revenue. We could not confirm from the sources reviewed whether that change was enacted, so the current casino rate should be checked with the tax administration.
Players
Law No. 29/2023 on income tax (Official Gazette No. 70, 2 May 2023) expressly covers “winnings from games of chance”. Article 4 treats winnings paid in Albania, or paid by a permanent establishment there, as Albanian-source income. We could not confirm from the text reviewed the rate and the withholding mechanism that apply to winnings, and readers should seek professional advice.
Consumer protection and responsible gambling
The law’s protective measures include the minimum age of 21 for most products, identity checks and a three-year player register, the 100-metre distance rule around schools and places of worship, minimum payout rates (at least 80% for casino machines and at least 50% for the lottery and televised bingo), and the mandatory dependency warning in advertising. Article 6 requires the AMLF to maintain an electronic register of persons who may not be admitted to gambling. The details of the register were set by VKM No. 114 of 27 February 2026, which covers both gambling premises and online platforms. The consolidated law provides for self-exclusion periods of three months, six months, one year or permanently, and requires online operators to activate a self-exclusion request within 24 hours. Under Article 6(4) a written request may come from the player or from at least one family member.
Treatment services are limited. In August 2026 Yogonet, summarising reporting by Balkan Insight, said Albania had no dedicated gambling counselling centres and that treatment was spread across general mental health services and private practice. We did not find a national gambling helpline. See also our responsible gambling guide.
Recent and upcoming developments
- Law No. 18/2024 (2024). Parliament passed the law on 15 February 2024 by 72 votes with two abstentions (Reporter.al). The opposition Democratic Party criticised the process as lacking transparency. Karanovic & Partners gives 27 March 2024 as the date of entry into force; Albanian Daily News (2 April 2024) placed it a few days later.
- Casino rules (2025). VKM No. 690/2020 on casino licensing was amended by VKM No. 312 of 4 June 2025.
- Implementing package (2026). The Council of Ministers adopted the regulations on the exclusion register (27 February), technical standards (11 March), licensing criteria (26 March), the AMLF project support council (10 April), and licence suspension and the Special Fund (26 June 2026). Lexo.al reported that the government blamed the delay of more than two years on “high technical and institutional complexity”.
- Licensing status (August to October 2026). IR Global reported in September 2026 that no tender notice had been published and no application window or date announced. The AMLF register still showed no online sports betting licensee on 6 October 2026. Yogonet reported government revenue expectations of about ALL 2 billion a year.
- Lottery. The national lottery licence remains vacant. We found no report of a new tender.
Casino listings for players in Albania
The listings below are generated automatically from our casino database. They do not show that an operator is licensed in Albania. The AMLF states that it has licensed no operator of online games of chance, and Albanian law provides no licence for online casinos, so the listings must not be read as an indication that playing at these sites is lawful or protected in Albania. Readers can check the AMLF register of licensed entities.
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Sources and further reading
- Republic of Albania (published by AMLF), Ligji nr. 155/2015 “Për lojërat e fatit në Republikën e Shqipërisë”, i ndryshuar (consolidated text) (accessed 6 October 2026).
- AMLF, Law No. 155/2015 on Gambling in the Republic of Albania, as amended (English translation) (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Republic of Albania, Ligji nr. 155/2015, datë 21.12.2015 (original text) (copy hosted by Gosnishti; 2015).
- AMLF, Ligje (legislation) and Vendime të Këshillit të Ministrave (accessed 6 October 2026).
- AMLF, Subjekte të licensuara, including the lists for five-star hotel casinos, casinos, the national lottery and online sports betting (accessed 6 October 2026).
- AMLF, Njoftim (notice on unlicensed online gambling advertising) (28 April 2026).
- Ministry of Finance, Për disa shtesa dhe ndryshime në ligjin nr. 155/2015 (public consultation) (2023).
- Republic of Albania, Fletorja Zyrtare No. 70/2023, containing Law No. 29/2023 on income tax (2023).
- General Directorate of Taxes, Lojrat e fatit, kazinotë dhe hipodromet (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Karanovic & Partners, Albanian New Law on Gambling (2024).
- Oikonomakis, C. (IR Global), Albania Sports Betting Licensing 2026: A Legal and Regulatory Guide for International Operators (2026).
- Anadolu Agency, Shqipëri, hyn në fuqi ligji për ndalimin e lojërave të fatit (2019).
- European Gaming, Albanian president signs new law that restricts gambling (2018).
- Lapsi.al, 1 janar 2019, hyn në fuqi ligji i mbylljes së lojërave të fatit (2019).
- Top Channel, Zbardhet ndryshimi i ligjit për lojërat e fatit që sjell 9.000 të papunë (2018).
- Shqiptarja.com, Urdhri i AKEP-it: Të mbyllen të gjitha adresat që ofrojnë baste online (Lista me 476 website) (2019).
- Shqiptarja.com, ‘Kazinotë vetëm në hotelet me 5 yje dhe resorte’/ Braçe: Lojërat e fatit nuk do të rihapen (2020).
- Shqiptarja.com, Qeveria rikthen bastet sportive online, 10 licenca në rang kombëtar (2023).
- Reporter.al, Rikthehen bastet sportive, ndërsa Kuvendit i hiqet Lotaria Kombëtare (2024).
- Kapitali, Skema si do të funksionojnë tani bastet online (2024).
- Albanian Daily News, Online Betting Law Officially into Force (2024).
- Lexo.al, Rikthehen bastet sportive online, qeveria plotëson kuadrin ligjor pas 2 vitesh vonesë (2026).
- Ditar.al, Dështon Lotaria Kombëtare, qeveria propozon ulje të tarifës së licencimit (2023).
- Transparency International, Licence agreement for the national lottery (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Gaming Intelligence, Austrian Lotteries to launch Albania’s National Lottery (2013).
- Novomatic, NOVOMATIC successfully completed acquisition of Albanian National Lottery (2016).
- Yogonet, Albania prepares online sports betting return as licensing, addiction uncertainties persist (2026).
- iGaming Business, As Albania prepares to bring sports betting out of the shadows, conditions favour international operators (2026).
