Balkan Gaming Federation elects first president and launches regional agenda

Dragan Skrbić was elected president of the Balkan Gaming Federation on 30 September 2026 in Bucharest, with Filip Jelavić and Sorin Georgescu named vice-presidents. The seven-nation body — formed after a Memorandum of Cooperation signed in Belgrade in March 2026 — has set Croatia as its legal seat and is moving from planning to a schedule of joint events and policy positions for the Balkan legal gaming sector.

Balkan Gaming Federation: the leadership and membership

The Balkan Gaming Federation (BGF) appointed its inaugural leadership during a two-day programme in Bucharest. Dragan Skrbić, president of Serbia’s Association of Gaming and Amusement Operators (AGOS), will serve as the Federation’s first president. He is joined by two vice-presidents: Filip Jelavić, secretary general of Croatia’s Hrvatska udruga privatnih igara na sreću (HUPIS), and Sorin Georgescu, president of Romania’s ROMSLOT and vice-president of the Federation of Betting Operators in Romania (FEDBET).

BGF unites national trade associations from seven jurisdictions: Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia. The organisation’s legal seat has been established in Croatia. A working group led by Filip Jelavić prepared the Statute and institutional framework that the members approved prior to the election.

From the Belgrade memorandum to an operational federation

The federation traces its origin to a Memorandum of Cooperation signed in Belgrade in March 2026. AGOS (Serbia) and the Association of Gaming and Gambling Operators in Bulgaria (AOGGAB) were instrumental in launching the process, after which the seven associations spent months defining governance, membership rules and common positions.

The transition from memorandum to structure culminated in Bucharest with formal elections and an agenda of immediate joint initiatives. The federation has already issued unified positions on regulatory developments in Romania, Montenegro and North Macedonia, reflecting its intention to treat national regulatory shifts as matters with regional relevance.

BGF and EUROMAT: positioning the federation within Europe

Relations with the European Gaming and Amusement Federation (EUROMAT) were central to the Bucharest programme. On 29 September 2026 representatives of the BGF member associations joined a working dinner with the EUROMAT Board. Jason Frost, president of EUROMAT, attended the BGF leadership election on 30 September and took part in subsequent discussions about cooperation.

BGF aims to act as a regional Balkan cluster within the broader EUROMAT framework while retaining its own governance and identity. Four of BGF’s seven member associations — AOGGAB, AGOS, ROMSLOT and HUPIS — are already EUROMAT members. The region also has direct representation inside EUROMAT through Karoly Buzás of ROMSLOT and Filip Jelavić of HUPIS. The model is designed to channel Balkan regulatory issues and market expertise into European-level debates without creating a competing body.

Immediate initiatives and the calendar through November 2026

The new leadership set out a packed short-term schedule. On 24 November 2026 the Federation will make its first collective public appearance at the Gaming Industry Gala Dinner – New Horizons in Sofia, where it will present its main directions and plans for 2027 to the wider industry. The following day, 25 November 2026, BGF will hold an industry roundtable with leading companies and experts from across the Balkans, launching what the federation intends to make an annual initiative.

Work also began on a larger regional B2B forum with an exhibition component. That forum is planned to rotate between Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia. The rotating format aims to give each national market hosting duties and to broaden participation from local suppliers, operators and regulators.

Why the federation matters to operators and stakeholders

BGF’s stated objective is to strengthen the legal gaming sector across the Balkans by consolidating positions, sharing expertise and coordinating industry responses to regulation. Holding the launch events in Bucharest underlined support for Romania’s licensed sector during a period of substantial regulatory change. The visible presence of EUROMAT leaders alongside BGF members in the Romanian capital was explicitly framed as solidarity with ROMSLOT and the country’s regulated industry.

For trade associations and companies operating across the region, the federation offers a single interlocutor to present consolidated positions to European bodies, and a platform for regional initiatives including policy papers, industry events and joint advocacy.

Next steps and the challenge of delivery

The immediate test for the federation is converting its governance framework and public statements into sustained activity. The executive leadership will need to follow through on the November events, deliver the annual roundtable and establish the rotating B2B forum. Building a staffed secretariat, maintaining ties with EUROMAT and turning ad hoc joint positions into formal policy contributions are tasks already on the Federation’s agenda.

If BGF fulfils its early commitments, it will provide Balkan markets with a more structured way to connect national regulatory issues to European debates while preserving the autonomy of its member associations.

legal gaming sector and trade groups will watch whether the federation can move from coordination into consistent joint outputs over 2027.

Regional B2B forum planning will also be an early practical indicator of delivery capacity, and the Federation’s presentation in Sofia will be the first public test of its messaging to the wider industry. The November programme will therefore be the first substantive measure of BGF’s momentum.