The Government and Regulatory Affairs team at Gaming Labs International (GLI) met with officials from the Bulgarian regulator to exchange ideas on how to strengthen the local sector.

Lucas Zavarise, Manager of GLI’s Government and Regulatory Affairs unit, traveled to Sofia with colleague Kevin Kostreci, GLI’s Manager of Technical Compliance, for a face-to-face discussion with Bulgaria’s National Revenue Agency (NRA).

On LinkedIn, Zavarise commended the discussion that focused on Bulgaria’s market developments and regulatory framework as “key to more effective, practical, future-ready regulation”.

He further highlighted that such exchanges are high on GLI’s agenda given the gambling sector’s rapid evolution when it comes to technology, products, and regulatory expectations.

Zavarise and Kostreci were joined by Martin Yakimov, Head of Gambling at Velchev & Co. Law Office, alongside Alexander Popov, Director of Gambling Oversight at the NRA.

Popov unveiled more details about the meeting for SBC News, adding that GLI has expressed particular interest in how the Bulgarian regulator operates when it comes to the use of artificial intelligence in gambling products, among other things.

He commented: “The meeting with GLI was on the occasion of their newly formed unit for Government and Regulatory Affairs. The meeting was constructive and in a spirit of understanding.

“The colleagues from GLI wished to introduce themselves and provide an opportunity to create a channel for interaction regarding the regulator’s requirements for gaming software and gaming equipment that are applied for registration by organisers of gambling games.

“We discussed some private cases, which I will refrain from commenting on, but we also discussed what the regulator’s attitude would be towards games containing elements based on artificial intelligence. 

“The topic of our conversation was also the increasingly popular ‘virtual sports’ and ‘esports’ and their treatment by the regulator.”

Bulgaria recently went through a snap election, with the center-left coalition of former President and current Prime Minister Rumen Radev scoring a landslide victory.

With populist politics increasingly spreading across Eastern Europe, SBC News recently spoke with the Association of Organisers of Gambling Games and Activities in Bulgaria (AOGGAB) about what the local sector expects from the new government.

Milen Totev, AOGGAB Chairman, then commented: “We expect legislative initiatives. Our position is that any significant change should be discussed with the industry, the regulator and the experts. 

“If the state wants a stronger economy, it should not treat one legal sector only as a problem. It should be regulated, controlled and included in the economic logic of the country.”