Culture and history

During the socialist period, gambling in Albania was marginalized and mostly pushed into the private companies of friends - card games and dominoes in cafes.

After the 1990s, liberalization began: in the 2000s, betting points skyrocketed, fueled by the popularity of football and European leagues, as well as national lotteries and telebingos.

Public discourse gradually shifted to the topic of social responsibility: gambling areas were concentrated in cities, which gave rise to a wave of criticism and eventually led to a nationwide ban in 2019.

Today, the cultural "landscape" combines traditional forms of leisure (card games in cafes, betting conversations about derby) with digital practices: bets went online under license, and land casinos are permissible only as an exception in premium tourist locations.

Mass culture is characterized by a "football core" (Eurocups, national team), while slots and casino topics remain on the periphery due to regulatory restrictions and public caution.