Western Balkans unite gambling market: Balkan Gaming Federation has been created - what does this mean for the industry
A new stage has emerged in the Western Balkans gambling industry - the region, which for a long time developed fragmentedly, makes an attempt to speak with one voice. At a meeting in Belgrade, seven countries signed a memorandum of cooperation and announced the creation of the Balkan Gaming Federation. The initiative was the result of joint work between the Serbian AGOS and the Bulgarian AOGGOB and already now looks like an application for the formation of a full-fledged regional center of influence.
Serbia joined the new federation, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia. At the same time, we are not talking about replacing national associations - the structure is conceived as a superstructure, uniting operators, suppliers and technology companies. Essentially, this is a coordination platform, which should synchronize the actions of market players, without breaking existing mechanisms on the ground.
The main idea of creating a federation is to bring disparate regulatory approaches to a common denominator. Today the region lives under different rules: somewhere the market has already been formed and is open to international brands, and somewhere there are still legislative gaps. The new structure takes on the task of exchanging practices, joint lobbying of the interests of the industry and promotion of the Balkans as a single cluster on the European stage. A special emphasis is the fight against the illegal segment, which still remains a major challenge.
The context of the participating countries is really different. Serbia and Romania have already established themselves as strong online-markets, attracting large international operators. Croatia and Bulgaria rely on combination offline casino and the growing online segment. At the same time, Bulgaria is tightening regulation: expands self-exclusion programs and introduces additional restrictions for the sports community. At the same time, Bosnia and Herzegovina faces a fragmented regulatory system, and Montenegro - with internal disputes around tax policy.
At the positioning level, the Balkan Gaming Federation is betting on the formation of a separate Balkan cluster while maintaining ties with European structures, including EUROMAT. The next steps have already been announced: the next meeting of participants will be held 26 May at the Belgrade Future Gaming exhibition, and by autumn 2026 year it is planned to approve the management model and elect leadership.
In fact, we are talking about an attempt to assemble a single coordination center in the region, where each market previously developed according to its own scenario. Balkan Gaming Federation does not eliminate differences between countries, but creates space for dialogue and agreement on solutions. In the long term, this could be the key factor, which will allow the Balkans to strengthen their position in the European gambling market.
