Serbia’s burgeoning gambling sector has established a new trade and standards body, SPIS – Udruženje Priređivača Igara na Sreću (translated as The Association of Games of Chance Organisers).

The organisation was launched at a ceremony held at the Sava Center in Belgrade, where SPIS confirmed that it has begun work on its founding charter to promote “responsibility, transparency, and cooperation across all regulated gambling activities in Serbia.”

The event gathered leading figures from the Serbian gambling industry, alongside representatives of government institutions, business partners, and civil society. During the ceremony, Nevena Marković was announced as the inaugural Director of SPIS.

“Our industry employs thousands of people, contributes to public revenues, and invests in technology. But it is equally important to show society that games of chance can be safe and responsible entertainment,” said Marković.

“SPIS was founded to systematically cultivate these values through codes of conduct, education, and active cooperation with the state and the civil sector. Our ambition is to be a reliable partner in shaping the future of this industry.”

SPIS brings together Serbia’s leading domestic operators including Mozzart and MaxBet with the joint objective of enhancing operational standards, strengthening player protection, and improving the public perception of the gambling industry.

Mozzart CEO Slobodan Prodanović and MaxBet CEO Savo Bakmaz addressed attendees, highlighting the importance of collaboration and collective responsibility to ensure sustainable industry growth.

“The establishment of SPIS represents a crucial step forward for our market,” said Savo Bakmaz, CEO of MaxBet. “For the first time, operators and the state can work side by side through a single forum that prioritises transparency, accountability, and player protection.”

“The Serbian market is changing rapidly — both through regulation and international partnerships,” Bakmaz continued. “SPIS gives us a unified voice to help guide that evolution responsibly and ensure that operators contribute to long-term, sustainable growth for the economy and local communities.”

2024-&-2025 changes

In 2024 and 2025, Serbia will reform parts of its gambling regime with new rules aimed at tightening control and improving the reporting on licences. Amendments to the Law on Games of Chance, effective from January 2025, introduced stricter oversight of financial transactions, jackpot management, and operator reporting, while setting new technical standards for gaming equipment and electronic payments.

The Ministry of Finance also launched a nationwide compliance sweep across all districts to ensure that betting and gaming venues meet licensing, age-verification, and responsible-gambling standards. 

New regulations require visible addiction-warning signage, restrict alcohol service to active players, and mandate player verification and record-keeping for online games signalling Serbia’s shift toward a more closely regulated and harmonised gambling environment.

President Aleksandar Vučić, has tasked the Olympic Committee to work with the Ministry of Public Health to establish a specific degree on under-21 protections and safeguards, which will include a toughening of advertising rules.

At the same time, the sector’s make-up is being transformed by a surge in foreign investment. Flutter Entertainment acquired a 51% stake in MaxBet — Serbia’s second-largest omni-channel sports-betting and gaming operator — for €141m, with an option to purchase the remaining 49% by 2029. 

Meanwhile, Golden Matrix Group (NASDAQ: GMGI) finalised its acquisition of MeridianBet Group in April 2024, establishing a global multi-jurisdictional operator anchored in Serbia. Further developments have seen Serbia emerge as a key target for Superbet, the Romania gambling group of Sacha Dragić, backed by €1.3bn in new funding from Blackstone to accelerate  its position as Eastern Europe’s undisputed market leader. 

The entry of such international firms marks a shift in ownership and strategy, bringing in new capital, global expertise, and competitive intensity as Serbia’s gambling market moves into a more mature, internationally integrated phase.

Even One Is Too Many 

The newly formed SPIS also unveiled its first Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative under the slogan “Even One Is Too Many”, developed in partnership with the Special Hospital for Addiction Diseases in Belgrade. 

The project will focus on educating teenagers in sports clubs about the prevention of gambling-related harm and risky behaviours, supported by medical experts and online safety educator Katarina Jonev.

Former basketball star Igor Rakočević was unveiled as SPIS’s first ambassador, emphasising the organisation’s broader commitment to social responsibility.

“No institution, company, or individual can achieve change alone. Only when we work together, share responsibility, and pursue the common good can we build lasting values,” Rakočević told delegates. 

SPIS stated that it aims to serve as a bridge between the state, industry, and community, representing the collective voice of licensed operators in policy discussions while promoting a fair and transparent gambling market for Serbia’s future.