Albanian Premier Edi Rama started today a public consultation of sports lotteries and gambling which his government banned only four years ago, but which he intends restore again.

Rama organized a public hearing on sports betting with the presence of Albanian Olympic Committee President Fidel Ylli, who has always been in favor of restoring bets and gambling, and representatives of the Olympic Associations, Ministry of Finances, Ministry of Education, and the High Council of Sports. The proposal for the return of betting came from the Albanian Olympic Associations to formalize a market that thrived informally after its ban on January 1, 2019.

In October 2018, when the government sent the bill to the parliament, the Prime Minister argued the law on gambling ban would heal a social wound caused by it. Another reason was to tackle money laundering of the criminal organization through the gambling industry.

Today Rama said the state needs money.

“Indubitably, here we are talking about a potential amount of income that would be very valuable for the sports activity, for both the Football Association and other sports associations. We have a context that needs to be understood”, said Rama.