The government of Albania will seek to relaunch the Balkan nation’s sports betting marketplace by 1 January 2023.
Sports betting was prohibited in 2018 alongside casino and online gambling, a decision sanctioned by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama as a youth protection and anti-corruption measure.
This summer, Balkan news sources reported that Rama was considering suspending gambling’s prohibition to generate subsidies for Albania’s imminent winter fuel and energy crisis.
Meanwhile, a decree signed by Albanian sports bodies petitioned the Kuvendi (Parliament) to reinstate sports betting “under a well-regulated and supervised regime.” Urging sports betting to be taken out of prohibition, the decree’s supporters lobbied that a legalised market could generate an “estimated €17 million in tax revenues each year”.
