The Balkan Gaming Federation (BGF) has elected Dragan Skrbić, president of Serbian gaming association AGOS, as its first president. The vote took place in Bucharest on 30 September 2026.
Members also elected two vice presidents: Filip Jelavić, secretary general of Croatian association HUPIS, and Sorin Georgescu, president of Romslot and vice president of Fedbet.
The election gives the federation a formal leadership structure six months after its founding members signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in Belgrade in March 2026.
Seven countries, one regional body
The BGF brings together national gaming associations from seven countries: Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia.
Named members include AOGGAB in Bulgaria, AGOS in Serbia, Romslot and Fedbet in Romania, HUPIS in Croatia and GPIS Montenegro.
The federation’s legal seat is in Croatia, where it is being registered under Croatian law. Jelavić led work on the statute, according to earlier reporting on the federation’s second working meeting in Belgrade, which AGOS hosted.
In a statement on LinkedIn, the BGF said it was moving into “the next stage of its development” with its leadership in place and its first joint initiatives under way.
The EUROMAT connection
The Bucharest election ran alongside the annual Board meeting of the European Gaming and Amusement Federation (EUROMAT), held in the Romanian capital on 29 September. EUROMAT President Jason Frost attended the 30 September vote.
Four BGF members already hold EUROMAT membership: AOGGAB, AGOS, Romslot and HUPIS. Jelavić also sits on EUROMAT’s Executive Committee.
The BGF describes itself as a regional Balkan cluster within the wider EUROMAT framework. It keeps its own governance, which lets associations from non-EU markets such as Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia work with EU members under one regional structure.
Through EUROMAT, the four overlapping associations take part in EU-level discussions on gambling policy. The BGF covers issues specific to the Balkan markets.
Illegal gambling at the top of the agenda
The federation’s founding agenda centres on the legal, licensed sector. Its stated priorities are:
- a coordinated regional response to the growth of illegal gambling
- protection of licensed operators
- joint positions on regulatory developments across member markets
- regular dialogue between industry and regulators
Members have also agreed to set up a B2B forum that will rotate between Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia.
BGF members have said policymakers undervalue the licensed sector. Speaking earlier this year, GPIS Montenegro Vice President Miloš Lalević said:
“The sector is still viewed through outdated perceptions, without sufficient understanding of its economic importance.”
Regulatory pressure across member markets
The federation forms at a time of active regulatory change in several of its markets. In Romania, a 2025 tax package raised levies on online and retail gambling, and a government decree gave local councils powers to ban gambling venues, with several cities moving to restrict slot halls.
Romslot, Georgescu’s association, represents slot operators in that market. His election as vice president puts the Romanian slot sector, which now faces local ban powers, in the federation’s leadership.
Each member country runs its own licensing regime, and four of the seven sit outside the EU. With joint BGF positions, regulators in these markets could deal with one regional industry body on cross-border issues such as unlicensed offshore sites.
What comes next
The federation’s next public appearance is in Sofia. The BGF will hold a Gaming Industry Gala Dinner in the Bulgarian capital on 24 November 2026, where it plans to present its strategic directions for 2027.
An annual industry roundtable follows in Sofia on 25 November.
The 2027 plan will show how the BGF intends to turn its stated priorities into concrete positions, and whether its members can agree common lines on taxation and enforcement across EU and non-EU markets with different rulebooks.
Source: Balkan Gaming Federation
