Dragan Skrbić elected president of the Balkan Gaming Federation
Six months after the Memorandum was signed in Belgrade, the Balkan Gaming Federation now has its first leadership structure in place, marking the start of its first joint initiatives.
Key takeaways:
- Dragan Skrbić (AGOS, Serbia) was elected the first president of the Balkan Gaming Federation on September 30, 2026, in Bucharest.
- He will serve with vice-presidents Filip Jelavić (HUPIS, Croatia) and Sorin Georgescu (ROMSLOT/FEDBET, Romania).
- BGF brings together seven national associations from Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia.
- The federation is positioning itself as a regional Balkan cluster within the EUROMAT framework while keeping its own governance and identity.
- First joint initiatives include a November 2026 gala in Sofia, an annual industry roundtable, and plans for a rotating regional B2B forum.
Romania.- The Balkan Gaming Federation (BGF) has elected its first leadership team, moving from a March 2026 memorandum of cooperation to an operational structure with a clear agenda. With Dragan Skrbić as president, the seven-nation body is now preparing joint initiatives and defining its role as a Balkan cluster inside EUROMAT to strengthen the legal gaming sector across the region.
Skrbić will be joined by two vice-presidents: Filip Jelavić, secretary general of Croatia’s HUPIS, and Sorin Georgescu, president of Romania’s ROMSLOT and vice president of FEDBET.
The creation of BGF began in March 2026 in Belgrade, when national associations from Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia signed a Memorandum of Cooperation.
The process was launched jointly with the involvement of AGOS from Serbia and AOGGAB from Bulgaria, while the seven associations spent the following months shaping the governance model and common positions of the future organisation. Croatia was selected as the legal seat of BGF, while a working group led by Filip Jelavić prepared the Statute and the institutional framework.
BGF and EUROMAT deepen cooperation
The election of the new leadership was part of a two-day programme in Bucharest that also placed strong emphasis on relations between BGF and EUROMAT. On September 29, representatives of the Federation’s member associations held a working dinner with the EUROMAT Board. The following day, Jason Frost, president of EUROMAT, attended the election of the BGF leadership, while subsequent discussions focused on opportunities for closer cooperation between the two organisations.
The connection with EUROMAT has been part of the BGF concept from the outset. The objective is for the Balkan associations to have their own regional structure and a stronger collective voice, while remaining connected to representation at European level and preserving the Federation’s own governance, identity and autonomy.
The discussions in Bucharest developed this concept further, with BGF aiming to establish itself as a regional Balkan cluster within the broader EUROMAT framework. This would allow the Federation to consolidate the challenges, expertise and positions of Balkan markets and connect them more directly with the European policy debate, while giving EUROMAT a more structured link to a region that includes both EU Member States and Western Balkan markets.
There is already a solid institutional basis for this cooperation. Four of BGF’s seven member associations, AOGGAB, AGOS, ROMSLOT, and HUPIS, are also members of EUROMAT, while the region has direct representation within the European organisation through Karoly Buzás of ROMSLOT and Filip Jelavić of HUPIS.
Bucharest also highlighted support for Romania’s legal gaming sector
Holding the meetings in Bucharest carried additional significance. Romania’s licensed gaming sector is going through a period of substantial regulatory change, and the presence of BGF member associations together with the EUROMAT leadership in the Romanian capital sent a clear signal of support for ROMSLOT and the country’s legal gaming industry.
Regional solidarity is already becoming a regular part of the Federation’s work. During its first months, BGF issued joint positions on regulatory developments in Romania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, reflecting one of the central ideas behind the organisation: national regulatory challenges should not remain isolated within individual markets when their consequences may have wider relevance for the region.
From joint positions to the first initiatives
Following the election, attention is now shifting towards concrete initiatives. On November 24, 2026, in Sofia, the new leadership will take part in the Gaming Industry Gala Dinner – New Horizons, where it is expected to present the main directions and plans of BGF for 2027 to a wider industry audience. This will be the first joint public appearance of the Federation’s new leadership before the international gaming industry, together with representatives of the member associations.
On November 25, 2026, a separate working roundtable is planned with representatives of leading companies and experts from across the Balkan gaming industry, marking the beginning of an annual BGF initiative. The format is intended to bring together key figures from across the region around shared business interests, communication, joint initiatives, the main challenges facing the industry, regulation, and the protection of the legal gaming sector.
In parallel, work is beginning on a larger regional B2B forum for BGF, designed to build on this line of cooperation and include an exhibition component. The format is planned to rotate between Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia.
From the signing of the Memorandum in Belgrade to the formation of its first leadership in Bucharest, BGF has moved from the idea of regional cooperation to an organisation with an established structure and a clearer agenda. The next challenge is to turn that framework into lasting cooperation and joint initiatives that can support the development of the legal gaming industry across the Balkans.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
- Who is the first president of the Balkan Gaming Federation? Dragan Skrbić, president of Serbia’s AGOS association, was elected BGF’s first president on September 30, 2026 in Bucharest. He will lead the seven-nation federation alongside two vice-presidents from Croatia and Romania.
- Which countries are in the Balkan Gaming Federation? BGF’s members are national associations from Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia. The legal seat of the federation has been set in Croatia.
- How does Balkan Gaming Federation relate to EUROMAT? BGF is designed to act as a regional Balkan cluster within the broader EUROMAT framework, not as a separate or competing body. Four BGF member associations are already EUROMAT members, and the aim is to channel Balkan regulatory and market issues more directly into European-level debates.
- What are Balkan Gaming Federation’s next concrete steps? The new leadership will present its 2027 plans at a gala dinner in Sofia on November 24, 2026, followed by an annual industry roundtable on November 25. Work is also starting on a rotating regional B2B forum planned to move between Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia.
