Albania’s parliament passed a law last year, banning sports betting and other forms of gambling from the start of 2019 in a bid to tackle addiction among gamblers and match-fixing in sports competitions, while also protecting household finances.

At one time there were 50 casinos operating in Tirana but currently there's only one. The government's decision has shut more than 4,000 shops, made 8,000 people unemployed, while the loss of revenue to the state is $51 million dollars a year.

Still, traditional practices are popular, and the betting association expects illegal gambling to carry on despite the ban.

TRT World’s Iolo ap Dafydd reports.