Gambling
The operation of gambling in the Republic of Albania is regulated by Law No. 155/2015 of December 21, 2015 “On Gambling in the Republic of Albania,” and by other legal acts implementing this law.
The categories of gambling games permitted to be conducted in the Republic of Albania, for which interested companies may be licensed, are:
- Sports betting;
- Betting on track races;
- Casinos located in five-star hotels;
- Remote electronic game;
- Casino resort;
- National Lottery;
- TV bingo.
The gambling organizer is prohibited from employing, admitting, or allowing persons under the age of 21 to enter or play in gambling premises, and must request identification from every player in the gaming premises to ensure that no players under the age of 21 are admitted.
Distances between gambling venues and the institutions specified in paragraph 2 of this article must be no less than 100 meters as the crow flies in all directions. Distances shall be measured between the nearest points of the two facilities. The method for calculating distances under this point shall be determined by an instruction from the Minister of Finance.
The institution responsible for licensing, supervising, and enforcing legal compliance in the operation of organizers in the field of gambling is the Gambling Supervision Authority.
The licensing period for all categories of gambling is 10 years, and it begins on the date it is issued.
Licensing fees by category are:
- “Sports betting and track racing betting,” for the entire licensing period, is 200,000,000 (two hundred million) lekë. This fee includes the right to open up to 1,000 secondary addresses in total.
- For “television bingo,” the license fee for the entire licensing period is 40,000,000 (forty million) lek.
- For “Casino,” for the entire licensing period, starting at 1,000,000,000 (one billion) lek. This fee includes the right to open only one hall in total.
- “Casinos located in five-star hotels,” for the entire licensing period, is 70,000,000 (seventy million) lek.
- “The casino resort license fee for the entire licensing period is 50,000,000 (fifty million) lek.
- “The National Lottery,” for the entire licensing period, starting at 1,000,000,000 (one billion) lek.
- “Remote electronic games,” for the entire licensing period, is 200,000,000 (two hundred million) lek.
The license fee is paid in equal installments over the entire licensing term.
Source: General Directorate of Taxes.