As of 2026, online gambling in Albania is tightly restricted: only online sports betting is legal, and only through operators licensed by the national Gambling Supervisory Authority (AMLF). This follows Law No. 18/2024, which ended a roughly five-year total ban (from January 2019) but reopened only sports betting - online casino games, slots and online poker remain outside the licensing regime, and there is no licensed online-lottery product. Winnings are taxed at a flat 15%, cryptocurrency cannot be used with licensed operators, and offshore sites are unregulated and legally risky.

Albania banned nearly all gambling from 1 January 2019, closing more than 4,000 betting shops and slot parlours. The ban was driven by concerns over problem gambling, alleged organised-crime links and social harm.

On 15 February 2024, Parliament adopted Law No. 18/2024, which entered into force on 27 March 2024 and partially reopened the market - but for online sports betting only. Land-based casino gambling remains confined to a small number of five-star hotel and resort venues.

Who regulates gambling

The regulator is the Gambling Supervisory Authority (Autoriteti i Mbikeqyrjes se Lojerave te Fatit, AMLF), which licenses operators and enforces compliance. Online sports-betting licences are capped at a maximum of 10 operators nationwide. On 26 March 2026, the Council of Ministers adopted Decision No. 194 setting the competitive tender criteria, timelines and a 100-point scoring system - covering the economic offer (30 points), gambling experience (30 points), organisational and administrative capacity (20 points), software solutions and international certifications (15 points) and the business plan (5 points).

Licensed vs offshore

Licensing requirements are demanding: applicants must be Albanian joint-stock companies with substantial share capital, provable multi-year gambling experience across several EU/OECD markets (at least three years in at least three such countries, directly or through a 30%+ shareholder), and financial guarantees. Only a handful of large, experienced operators can realistically qualify.

Many offshore sites still accept Albanian players, but they operate outside AMLF oversight. That means no local licence, no Albanian consumer-protection backstop, and no guarantee of payout or dispute resolution. SlotWhizz’s honesty-first position: an offshore site’s foreign licence is not the same as being legal or protected in Albania.

Payments and cryptocurrency

AspectPosition in Albania (2026)
Legal online productSports betting only (licensed operators)
Payment channelsThrough licensed Albanian financial agents (banks, e-money/payment institutions)
CashProhibited for licensed online betting
Crypto for bettingNot permitted with licensed operators
Crypto as an assetLegal; framework under Law No. 66/2020, though the domestic regime is still underdeveloped

Albania was an early mover on crypto, adopting Law No. 66/2020 on Financial Markets Based on Distributed Ledger Technology (in force 1 September 2020), supervised by the Financial Supervisory Authority (AMF) alongside AKSHI. Crypto profits are generally taxed at 15%. However, none of this extends to gambling: the betting framework mandates traceable payments through regulated financial agents and bans cash, leaving no legal crypto route to a licensed Albanian bookmaker.

Taxes on winnings

Under Law No. 29/2023 ‘On Income Tax’ (in force from 1 January 2024), income from games of chance is taxed at a flat 15%, with no cost deductions.

Safer gambling and help

The reforms strengthened player protection: licensed operators must offer age verification, self-exclusion (which relatives can also request), deposit and loss limits, and links to support services, and must take part in national responsible-gambling measures. There is no single published national helpline number at the time of writing - check amlf.gov.al for current details; international support is available via GamCare.

18+ only. Gambling can be addictive - please play responsibly. If it stops being fun, use self-exclusion tools or seek help.

Sources