One betting shop per 10-20 feet
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced last week that all casinos and betting shops now located in residential neighborhoods will have to relocate to urban outskirts.
The Associated Press reports that Albania, one of Europe’s most impoverished countries, is also a hub of betting with an abundance of sports betting shops, particularly in the capital city of Tirana. By one estimate, there is a betting shop every 10 to 20 feet on some streets. And though the number of casinos has dropped from 40 to 20 in the past five years, gaming tax revenues have increased to US$54 million (€47 million) from $37 million (€32 million) in 2013.
“Starting from 31st December 2018, all online casinos will cease to exist,” Rama said, adding that “this news will be more than welcomed by Albanian families.”
In addition, he said, “Starting from January 1st, no bookmakers and no online casinos will be open for business inside residential areas of the territory of Albania. A new regime will be in place until December 31 in order to license and control this activity remotely through the internet.”
Rama also said that media outlets that continue to accept illegal gambling advertising will be “closed by force.”
“The current law forbids advertising of bookmakers and gambling and this law has been violated by all media without exception, therefore I am warning them that they have 24 hours to remove all adverts of this nature,” said the prime minister.
The Independent Balkan News Agency reported that the government has also suspended the activity of the Gambling Commission until December 31st as it undergoes a digital transformation under the new regime.
