CVC Buys Control of GLI, Lifting Testing Across 710 Markets
CVC Strategic Opportunities completed its investment in Gaming Laboratories International, giving the private markets group control of one of the gambling industry’s main testing and certification providers. The deal closed through CVC’s long duration investment arm. Financial terms were not disclosed.
GLI operates in more than 710 regulated gaming jurisdictions and employs over 1,500 people. Testing labs sit between regulators, operators and suppliers. Games, systems and security controls usually need certification before launch. That means GLI’s approval speed and capacity directly affect how fast products reach the market.
Founded in 1989 by James Maida and Paul Magno, the company is headquartered in Lakewood, New Jersey. Regulators in new markets are adding technical and cybersecurity requirements every year, and GLI is one of the few labs with the jurisdictional reach to certify against all of them at scale.
Maida, GLI’s chief executive, will stay in his role. The existing leadership team remains in place. He said the new capital will support growth, including in adjacent sectors.
CVC partner and GLI board member Matt Turner said GLI built its leadership position over nearly 40 years. He said the company plays a critical role in regulated gambling.
An Austrian Federal Competition Authority filing from 3 July 2025 first signaled the deal’s scope. It stated that Avalon Buyer Limited, an entity tied to CVC managed funds, intended to acquire more than 50% of shares and sole control over GLI, Worldwide Laboratories and Kobetron.
The Austrian authority confirmed neither it nor the Federal Cartel Prosecutor sought a Cartel Court review. The standstill obligation ended on 1 August 2025, clearing the way for the deal to proceed.
GLI is framing the deal as a continuity story. No changes to service model, pricing or leadership have been announced. The open question is how CVC deploys its ownership as regulators add new technical and cybersecurity requirements across markets.
💡 TGJ Take
CVC bought a control point in regulated gambling, not just a testing company. GLI’s value rests on trust, speed and regulator acceptance. This deal only pays off if new capital adds capacity without slowing down or raising the cost of certification. Operators in fast growing regulated markets should watch for changes in approval turnaround. Suppliers should track testing timelines and cybersecurity certification demand specifically, since that’s where private equity pressure tends to show up first. Private equity ownership of critical infrastructure is not a problem by default, but it raises the stakes around a service the industry cannot route around.
