Balkans forms first cross-border gambling trade body
Table of contents
- AGOS of Serbia hosted and co-initiated the founding of the Balkan Gaming Federation (BGF) alongside Bulgaria’s AOGGAB, with five further national associations signing a Memorandum of Cooperation in Belgrade.
- The BGF is the first coordinated regional platform of its kind for the Balkans, representing online and land-based operators, suppliers and manufacturers across seven countries.
- Founding associations plan to reconvene on 26 May in Belgrade ahead of the Belgrade Future Gaming exhibition (27–28 May) to vote on the federation’s statutes.
Seven national gambling associations have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in Belgrade, formally launching the process of establishing the Balkan Gaming Federation (BGF).
The signing took place last week, hosted by Serbia’s AGOS, which jointly initiated the effort alongside Bulgaria’s AOGGAB. The BGF is the first regional platform of its kind for coordination, collaboration and joint positioning of industry organisations across the Balkans.
Who signed
The full list of signatories includes Croatia’s HUPIS, Romanian ROMSLOT, GPIS from Montenegro, UPIS RS from Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia’s MAK GEJMING.
Together, these organisations represent a significant portion of the legal gambling sector in the region, covering online and land-based operators, casinos, manufacturers and technology suppliers.
The founding document sets out several areas of joint work. These include mutual support in the fight against illegal gambling, countering unfair competition and the exchange of good regulatory practices across member countries.
The BGF also intends to coordinate on legislative and market-related issues, foster business partnerships, create shared regional industry events and position the Balkans more actively as a joint industrial zone on the international stage.
As part of the founding agenda, each association presented its profile, key challenges and potential contribution to the federation. Participants developed a joint concept for the promotion and positioning of the BGF, with the stated aim of ensuring the body presents itself as a genuine regional project from the outset rather than a symbolic initiative.
Several of the founding BGF associations are already members of the European Gaming and Amusement Federation (EUROMAT). The BGF is expected to function as a regional cluster within EUROMAT’s wider framework, maintaining a distinct Balkan identity.
Regulatory pressure across the region
The BGF’s launch comes against a backdrop of significant and simultaneous regulatory change across its member markets.
In Serbia, the government recently introduced legislation allowing domestically licensed operators to offer jackpots, improving channelisation rates.
Bulgaria is facing political pressure to raise the minimum gambling age from 18 to 21, less than two years after the country’s gambling laws underwent their most significant overhaul in decades. The country also raised its GGR tax to 25% from January 2026, up from 20%.
In Romania, the new president of the country’s gambling regulator has initiated collaborative efforts with policymakers around stronger player protection, including a proposal to raise the minimum gambling age to 21 and restrict celebrity advertising. Romania has also moved to strengthen its self-exclusion framework through an emergency ordinance.
Montenegro recently saw the industry clash with the government over a proposed taxation overhaul that lacked an evidential basis.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, discussions are ongoing over the potential abolition of the VAT exemption currently enjoyed by the sector.
Croatia has introduced a new self-exclusion scheme as the first step of a wider gambling reforms package.
North Macedonia‘s prime minister has called publicly for tighter restrictions on the industry.
What comes next
The signed memorandum is the first formal step in building the BGF. The associations reconvene on 26 May in Belgrade — ahead of the Belgrade Future Gaming exhibition on 27–28 May — where the federation will present its brand concept and hold a vote on the draft statutes.
In the intervening weeks, work will continue on shared communication infrastructure and defining the federation’s internal organisation.
With a dense regulatory calendar ahead across all seven member markets, the BGF’s ability to coordinate industry responses and align with EUROMAT’s European advocacy structures will be closely watched by operators, investors and policymakers with exposure to Balkan markets.
Keep reading
Do you have a story worth sharing?
Send it over to our editors!
