GLI Opens Direct Regulatory Channel With Bulgaria as AI and Virtual Betting Move Up the Agenda

Gaming Labs International has begun building closer ties with Bulgaria’s gambling regulator at a moment when the country is quietly becoming part of a broader European debate over how betting oversight should adapt to AI-driven products, esports wagering, and increasingly hybrid forms of online gaming.

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Representatives from GLI’s recently established Government and Regulatory Affairs division traveled to Sofia for meetings with Bulgaria’s National Revenue Agency, which oversees gambling supervision in the country. The talks brought together Lucas Zavarise, who manages the new regulatory affairs unit at Gaming Laboratories International, and Kevin Kostreci from the company’s technical compliance team, alongside Alexander Popov, the NRA’s Director of Gambling Oversight, and legal specialist Martin Yakimov of Velchev & Co. Law Office.

The meeting itself was not framed as a formal policy negotiation. Still, the subjects discussed reveal where regulators and testing laboratories increasingly expect pressure points to emerge.

Popov indicated that GLI showed particular interest in how Bulgarian authorities are approaching gambling products that incorporate artificial intelligence elements. Conversations also moved into virtual sports and esports betting, two categories that continue to expand faster than many regulatory systems were originally designed to handle.

The NRA appears to be using the discussions as part technical exchange, part relationship-building exercise. Popov described the talks as constructive and centered on establishing clearer interaction between the regulator and GLI regarding software and gaming equipment submitted for approval by licensed operators.

AI, Virtual Sports and the Next Regulatory Test

That matters because GLI sits in a highly influential position inside the global gambling ecosystem. The company certifies gaming systems, software, and equipment across dozens of jurisdictions, meaning its conversations with regulators often shape how technical standards evolve long before formal legislation catches up.

Zavarise later characterized the Sofia discussions as focused on making regulation more practical and future-ready, particularly as gambling technology changes at a pace many governments struggle to match. The emphasis from GLI’s side appears to be on maintaining ongoing dialogue rather than relying solely on static compliance frameworks.

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Bulgaria is entering that conversation during a politically unsettled period.

The country recently emerged from another snap election cycle, producing a strong victory for the center-left coalition linked to President and Prime Minister Rumen Radev. Across Eastern Europe, gambling regulation has increasingly become entangled with populist politics, tax debates, and public pressure campaigns around addiction and consumer protection.

Industry groups in Bulgaria are already preparing for possible legislative initiatives from the incoming administration.

Milen Totev, chairman of the Association of Organisers of Gambling Games and Activities in Bulgaria, has argued that major policy changes should involve consultation between operators, regulators, and technical experts rather than being pushed through politically. The association’s position reflects a recurring concern inside regulated gambling markets: governments often seek tighter controls while simultaneously relying on gambling tax revenues as a stable source of income.

That tension becomes sharper when regulators begin confronting newer betting formats.

Virtual sports products, for example, can blur distinctions between traditional sports wagering and automated gaming systems. AI-enhanced products raise another layer of uncertainty, particularly around personalization, player behavior analysis, and automated game mechanics. In many jurisdictions, regulators are still trying to determine whether existing licensing structures adequately cover those technologies or whether entirely new rulebooks will eventually be needed.

For now, the Sofia meeting appears less about immediate rule changes and more about opening a direct line between Bulgaria’s regulator and one of the gambling industry’s most influential technical certification firms. But the choice of topics suggests the next phase of gambling oversight in Europe may be shaped as much by software architecture and machine-learning systems as by traditional betting law.

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