"Gift for every family"/ The return of sports betting, as Rama declared three years ago

The government headed by Edi Rama seems to be paving the way for the re-formalization of sports betting, closed in January 2019.

More than 3 years ago, the head of government had a different attitude. He stated that this vice should be eradicated as it destroys families.

However, today it seems that the prime minister has changed his mind about sports betting and is considering their reopening.

The Minister of Finance and Economy, Delina Ibrahimaj, during the conference on the indicators of the economy during the first 3 months of the year, declared that at the beginning of next week, the law on the opening of betting will be submitted for public consultation.  

"The law provides for the reopening of online betting, not all betting as it was before. The law will be put out for public consultation next week. Then it will go to the Assembly. So, there will be consultation tables with all interest groups in order to arrive at a legal draft that is as consolidated as possible and that provides for social protection for those categories that are affected by this law. This was actually the main reason we stopped this," said the minister, among other things.

What Rama declared three years ago

In the middle of 2018, Prime Minister Edi Rama, after having prepared the ground for several years, would take one of the most daring decisions of his government, the closure of all lotteries and bets, with the exception of a certain category that will to obtain a national license, such as casinos and telebingos.

An initiative, albeit populist, as it came a few months before the local elections of that year, was welcomed by most of the society, as the betting shops that had sprouted in every corner of the palace were ruining individuals and families.

The Prime Minister himself in October 2018, in a meeting with socialist women, would say that " closing the lots will be a gift for every family for the New Year".

At that time, Rama said that betting is very widespread and connected to criminal sources of financing.

Në parlament në vitin 2018 kryeministri Edi Rama deklaroi se ishte kundër basteve të çfarëdolloji. “Ama në 1 janar të vitit të ardhshëm ne do ta sanksionojmë këtu në parlament nuk ka më asnjë lloj basti, nuk ka më asnjë lloj kazinoje elektronike në asnjë zonë të banuar”, pohoi Rama në parlament në 18 tetor të vitit 2018.

Por në gusht të vitit të kaluar kryeministri Rama ndryshoi mendim dhe po rikthen aktivitetin e basteve për të cilat pohoi se kanë lulëzuar gjithë këto vite në të zezë.

"But if we look ahead to where we should be today like night and day, it also makes me inclined to be open to this solution because it is a sin for this activity to be carried out by the hands of people who break the law and have appeared active and totally unreasonable benefits, high-profile element of organized crime.” , said Rama on August 31, 2022.

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According to official data, in the state budget the income from gambling in 2018, the last year before it was closed, was about 55 million euros, and the year after, after it was closed, the income fell by 43 million 400 thousand euros or about 80%. According to experts, their influence on the budget, although in conditions of high informality, was considerable, while over 7 thousand citizens also lost their jobs.