The Balkan gambling sector will gain a collective international representation thanks to a brand new trade body comprising the biggest associations in the region.
On the joint initiative of the Serbian and Bulgarian national gambling associations, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed in Belgrade between a total of seven industry organisations.
The signatories include Serbia’s and Bulgaria’s AGOS and AOGGAB respectively, together with Croatia’s HUPIS, Romanian ROMSLOT, GPIS from Montenegro, UPIS RS from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia’s MAK GEJMING.
United under the Balkan Gaming Federation (BGF) name, the associations – which represent gaming stakeholders including online and land-based operators, suppliers and manufacturers – will promote the region’s prospective markets while also maintaining a close internal collaboration to align their goals.
Several areas of cooperation were outlined in the founding document. These include fighting against illegal gambling, maintaining healthy competition, the exchange of good practices, legislative discussions, attracting investments, and the creation of joint events.
In the context of the wider European gambling sector, it is important to note that several of the founding BGF associations are members of the European Gaming and Amusement Federation (EUROMAT).
As such, it is expected that the BGF will function as a regional cluster within EUROMAT, whilst maintaining a unique identity that specifically represents the Balkan region.
Balkans as a hotbed of regulatory development
The formation of the BGF comes at a time of significant regulatory developments across the Balkan region.
In Serbia, the government recently introduced a major legislative change that allowed for jackpots to be offered by operators who are domestically licensed, incentivising players to gamble via the regulated market, ultimately driving stronger channelisation rates.
Bulgaria is currently facing political pressure from within the government to restrict the gambling sector even more by raising the minimum legal age from 18 to 21, just under two years after the nation’s gambling legislation went through its most significant overhaul in decades.
Similar developments have also been seen in Romania, where the new President of the country’s gambling regulator has initiated rapid collaborative efforts with policymakers to revamp the country’s gambling sector in favour of stronger player protection policies.
Moving on to Montenegro, the gambling industry recently clashed with the government over a botched attempt to change the taxation system with no evidence to support the decision nor a clear view on its future impact.
Croatia is in the midst of a planned rollout of a gambling reforms package. The first change to be introduced was the launch of a new self-exclusion scheme. In North Macedonia, significant reforms look to be on the horizon thanks to an outspoken PM who is in favour of more restrictions on the gambling industry.
Meanwhile, discussions are ramping up in Bosnia and Herzegovina that could potentially result in the abolition of the VAT exclusion that the gambling sector currently enjoys.
Evidenced from so many parallel regulatory movements, establishing an organisation like the BGF to help navigate legislative complexities will certainly be a welcome step for all industry stakeholders interested in the Balkans.