Balkan Gaming Federation elects working group chair, targets black market

The Balkan Gaming Federation (BGF) has elected Filip Jelevic as chair of a working group and will register the trade body in Croatia, per a BGF announcement. The moves advance the federation's coordinated campaign against black market gambling across seven Balkan nations.

Why it matters

The BGF's push to coordinate regulation and enforcement across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia could reshape the player experience in the region. Licensed operators may gain advantages over unregulated sites, but some reforms may reduce player choice or increase costs.

Source paragraph

The BGF was formed in March 2026 by seven national gaming associations from the listed countries, per a trade announcement. The federation elected Jelevic, who serves as Secretary General of the Croatian Association of Gaming Operators (HUPIS), to chair a working group tasked with preparing a text aligned with Croatian legislation for registration, per the BGF announcement via SBC News.

Main development

The working group will prepare a founding text that complies with Croatian law, to be voted on in an online meeting of the six member associations, the BGF stated. The federation has also begun engaging with Balkan regulators, scheduling a roundtable with national authorities to discuss "regulatory, financial and administrative pressure" faced by operators and measures to clamp down on the black market, per the announcement.

Croatia's regulatory reforms

Croatia's HDZ government announced a sweeping package of regulatory reforms in October 2025, including restrictions on gambling identifications, new ID verification requirements, a national self-exclusion system, and tiered taxation, according to the government announcement. HUPIS criticized the reforms, arguing the overhaul could jeopardize up to 15,000 jobs, according to HUPIS statements reported by SBC News.

Serbia's jackpot move

In January 2026, the Serbian government allowed domestic licensed operators to offer jackpots, a move designed to incentivize players to gamble via regulated platforms, according to the government decision. The policy aims to steer players away from unlicensed sites by offering prize pools unavailable on the black market.

Romania and Montenegro

Romania is examining player protection requirements in response to underage gambling problems identified by the government, per government statements reported by SBC News. In Montenegro, industry representatives criticized government plans on tax and advertising, according to industry statements cited in the same report.

Player impact

The BGF's coordinated push could affect players across the region in several ways. Tighter regulation of licensed operators may improve payout reliability and safer gambling tools, but could also reduce available bonuses and game selection as compliance costs rise. In Serbia, the legalization of jackpots on licensed platforms gives regulated sites a new competitive edge. Croatia's tiered taxation and self-exclusion system may shift some players toward black market sites, HUPIS warned.

What remains unclear

The specific size of the black market gambling sector in the Balkans remains unquantified. No data has been released on how player protection measures like cross-border self-exclusion will be enforced. The list of individual licensed operators affected by or involved with the BGF has not been disclosed.

What happens next

The BGF will participate in EUROMAT's annual Board of Directors meeting on September 29, 2026, hosted by Romania's ROMSLOT. The following day, September 30, ROMSLOT will host the election of the BGF's first President. The federation's working group text and registration in Croatia are expected to be finalized ahead of those dates.