Two days ago, Prime Minister Edi Rama called attention to online gambling. Gambling was prohibited in Albania as of December 31, 2018. However, even after this drastic government decision, the phenomenon of sports betting persisted.
Almost every week, police reports announce the arrests of people involved in illegal sports betting or other types of gambling. Meanwhile, the government’s draft legislation to reintroduce online gambling will be available for public comment soon.
However, when invited to the Debat show, Erald Kodhelaj, a sports producer at A2 CNN, stated that taxing players’ winnings risks jeopardizing the legalization of gambling.
“The winnings of the player will also be taxed. I have not seen any country in the world where anyone is taxed on gambling company winnings. The player is always the loser, while the organizer is always the winner. If the player loses when betting, he also loses when he wins because he must pay state tax, which is not the case in any other country in the world. I’m not sure if this was well thought out.
Not just to pass the time, but a serious law must be enacted. Otherwise, this will fail from the start,” Kodhelaj explained.
“Enver Hoxha couldn’t close them, and Edi Rama couldn’t either,” Fidel Ylli: Betting shops should open because they exist all over the world!
Fidel Ylli, President of the Albanian National Olympic Committee, was invited to “Debate” by Alba Alishani on A2 CNN and stated that it would be good if the vast majority of licenses were taken by Albanian companies because the money earned should stay in the country, and that he has certain criteria for all those who will show interest.
“The government must pay attention to us. I am in favor of Albanians obtaining the vast majority of licenses because the money should stay in Albania. Those who will approach must meet certain requirements. Where is money laundering taking place? Where is the economic crime that sees millions of dollars flee Albania and is known to everyone, including the police, MPs, and the Prime Minister? As a result, I put pressure on my government, served as a deputy, and stated that if Enver Hoxha couldn’t close them, Edi Rama couldn’t either. “I have said it, and I am convinced that they should be opened because the entire world has them,” Fidel Ylli said in “Debate,” among other things.
The bets will be returned online, Ylli: the money collected will not be deposited into the state budget, but will be managed by an agency.
Prime Minister Edi Rama drew attention to online betting two days ago, and the government’s draft for their return will be thrown out for consultation soon.
Fidel Ylli, President of the Albanian National Olympic Committee, explained the innovations of the draft prepared by the government in “Debate” with Alba Alishani on A2 CNN.
He explained that the current framework until 2018 “was a model,” but that there will no longer be physical locations and that bets will be placed via mobile phones.
“You will wear the ID card and log in to play online, and the police will monitor you; the amount you play will be checked, and there will be strict control,” he says.
Fidel Ylli explained that the money raised from the taxation of these businesses can be used to support sports or even the Ministry of Health, which will be represented in the commission for those addicted to gambling and in need of rehabilitation.
A2CNN Sports Producer Erald Kodheli also supports the formalization of these activities, emphasizing that betting businesses should not have been closed in Albania, but rather a smoother transition should have occurred.
But how will the regulatory mechanism for collecting money from betting companies work?
Fidel Ylli explains that the money will be managed by an agency rather than going into the state treasury this time.
“The old law stated that at one point, every 0.4% of betting companies’ profit, every 10th of each month, went into the account of the Ministry of Culture, Sports. These funds went to the Ministry of Finance and Sport never received them because the government closed the gaps, one road here, one pipeline there…The guarantee is that this money will not go into the state budget. There will be an agency that will manage them, and there will be representatives.”
Representatives will be present, according to Fidel Ylli, to ensure that funds collected on the server that will control all betting companies are distributed based on projects.