In March 2026, industry associations from seven Balkan countries decided on something that has never existed before in this part of Europe: a formal regional body for coordinating the gaming industry. Within a few months, the Balkan Gaming Federation (BGF) went from a memorandum in Belgrade to a headquarters in Zagreb, a statute in the making, and the election of its first president, planned for late September in Bucharest. This is no small achievement, it’s an institutional novelty with no real precedent in Europe.
In my doctoral dissertation, I defined this kind of connecting of industry actors (as opposed to states) as “business diplomacy”, in contrast to economic diplomacy, which by the classical definition is reserved for states. BGF is exactly that: companies and associations building a shared regional voice without waiting for the state.
And that brings me to a thought closer to home. If BGF were looking for a counterpart in Slovenia, it would run into trouble. The official “Gaming Association” under the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia’s Tourism and Hospitality section still states on its website that it “expects the committee to be reconstituted in 2019.” Slovenian players are, in fact, very visible internationally, but each on its own: (1) Loterija Slovenije is a member of the European Lotteries association, (2) Hit from Nova Gorica is a member of the European Casino Association. Without a joint institution, though, this remains diplomacy of individuals, not of an industry.
BGF shows what such a connection can look like in practice. Perhaps it’s time for Slovenia to ask itself, too, who its counterpart would be.
Congratulations to BGF on this step! I’ll be following with interest where the path leads this autumn.
References:
[1] Memorandum (marec 2026), sedež v Zagrebu, izvolitev predsednika (30. 9. 2026, Bukarešta): Italian Gaming Expo & Conference, 30. 3. 2026: https://italiangamingexpo.com/en/2026/03/30/leading-balkan-associations-sign-memorandum-to-establish-the-balkan-gaming-federation/ HUPIS, 1. 6. 2026: https://hupis.hr/novost/balkan-gaming-federation-odabrala-hrvatsku-za-svoje-sjediste-104 iGaming Express, 29. 5. 2026: https://igamingexpress.com/balkan-gaming-federation-moves-to-formalize-status-with-legal-seat-in-croatia/
[2] Ocena BGF kot institucionalne novosti brez neposrednega precedensa v EU: Lastna raziskava avtorja, ni najdenega formalnega primera primerljive več državne panožne federacije v nordijski, baltski ali DACH regiji. Gre za osebno oceno, ne kot absolutna trditev.
[3] Tipologija ekonomska/gospodarska (državna domena) vs. poslovna/podjetniška diplomacija (nedržavna domena) po Udoviču in Saner/Yiu: Lasten vir – doktorska disertacija avtorja, pogl. 3.2.1 (op. 173–174).
[4] Status TGZS “Združenja igralništva”: TGZS, “Združenje igralništva”: https://tgzs.si/zdruzenje-igralnistva/
[5] Loterija Slovenije, Romana Girandon kot predsednica EL (2023–2025, ponovno izvoljena 2025–2027): European Lotteries, 17. 9. 2025: https://www.european-lotteries.org/news/el-re-elects-president-and-appoints-new-executive-committee
[6] Hit (Nova Gorica) kot samostojna članica ECA: European Casino Association: https://www.europeancasinoassociation.org/news/press-releases/double-celebration-as-eca-names-nova-gorica-as-stage-for-its-casino-industry-forum-2024
