PopOK Gaming heads to Sofia as BEGE sponsor

• PopOK Gaming signs as an official sponsor of BEGE 2026 in Sofia.
• The expo runs on 25–26 November at Inter Expo Center, Halls 2 and 3.
• An EEGS Affiliate Conference runs across both days in Hall 2.

PopOK Gaming has signed on as an official sponsor of the Balkan Entertainment and Gaming Expo (BEGE) 2026, which runs at Sofia’s Inter Expo Center on 25–26 November. 

A studio signs up

BEGE presents PopOK Gaming as an iGaming content developer known for its casino games, dynamic animations and gamification tools. The organiser said the partnership fits the expo’s mission and invited attendees to meet the PopOK team in Sofia.

PopOK joins a growing list of 2026 backers. Vermantia returns as general sponsor of the BEGE Awards, and FashionTV Gaming Group was named an official partner in September.

BEGE opened its sponsorship programme for this edition in February. According to the organiser, packages cover premium brand placement, digital exposure, on-site visibility and exclusive networking access.

Online joins the floor

The organiser says it is making room for online brands. Earlier this year, BEGE reported a growing number of iGaming companies confirming participation, prompting gradual changes to the event format.

Those changes would not affect the exhibitors and partners who have supported the show over the years. The floor reflects that. As of 14 October, the published exhibitor list was led by land-based names, including Novomatic, Merkur Gaming and Amatic.

Affiliates take Hall 2

The official programme opens on 25 November with a press conference and an opening ceremony in Hall 2. From 11:00 to 16:00 on both days, the same hall hosts an EEGS Affiliate Conference alongside a FashionTV Gaming Group show.

The BEGE Awards ceremony also takes place in Hall 2 on the second day. Nominations opened on 9 October, with the organiser marking 17 years of the awards this edition.

The wider EEGS agenda puts AI, Web3 and crypto casinos on the table. It also covers the European AI Act and a wave of new marketing restrictions across the continent.

Those restrictions are already reshaping affiliate work nearby. From 7 October, Google revoked all gambling affiliate ad certifications targeting Croatia. Comparison sites lost the paid-search route there, and licensed operators kept theirs.

Bulgarian regulation

Domestic regulation adds another variable. In early September, MPs from We Continue the Change submitted a bill proposing a near-total gambling advertising ban. The bill is still pending.

Bulgaria’s 2024 rules already restrict gambling ads on television, radio, print and online. If adopted, the bill would extend those curbs to billboards, transit stops, building facades and vehicles.

With an affiliate conference running across both days and Google already closing paid search to Croatian affiliates, Sofia is shaping up as a forum on marketing under tighter rules. If more online studios follow PopOK onto the sponsor list, BEGE’s 2027 floor plan could look very different from this year’s.