Albania will allow up to 10 online operators as it reopens iGaming after a 2019 ban

Albania is preparing to let up to 10 online operators into a market that has been off-limits since 2019. For PSPs and acquirers, the interesting part is not the headline number; it is the shift from a banned market with a reported $126 million gray-market volume in 2025 to a licensed framework where payment access and risk controls become the real gatekeepers.

1. Up to 10 online operators will be allowed to enter the Albanian market. That sets a tight cap from the start, which matters for payment providers trying to assess how concentrated the opportunity will be.
2. iGaming in Albania has been banned since 2019. The reopening therefore marks a clear policy reversal rather than a gradual relaxation.
3. The gray market in Albania was estimated at $126 million in 2025. For PSPs, that figure is the useful one: it indicates the size of demand that may now move from informal channels into licensed ones.