Online Casinos in Hungary

The Legal Position

Online casino play is licensed in Hungary, through a route that only an existing casino concession holder can take. The Szabályozott Tevékenységek Felügyeleti Hatósága (SZTFH), the Supervisory Authority for Regulated Activities, keeps a distinct licence category for online casino games and sets out the limit on it in its own words: "A hatóság a koncessziós társaság részére az online kaszinójáték szervezését a koncessziós időszakban, a kaszinójáték szervezésére kiadott engedély időtartamára engedélyezheti." Translated, the authority may authorise online casino game operation for the concession company, within the concession period and for the term of the licence issued for casino game operation.

Remote gambling - távszerencsejáték, the category covering betting and remote games other than online casino - was opened up at the start of 2023. The Authority records that "2023. január 1. napjától a távszerencsejáték-liberalizáció keretében megnyílt a lehetőség valamennyi magyar és EGT-állami gazdasági társaság részére, hogy távszerencsejátékot szervezzen Magyarországon, amennyiben megfelel a jogszabályban előírt feltételeknek" - from 1 January 2023 the liberalisation of remote gambling opened the possibility for every Hungarian and EEA company to operate remote gambling in Hungary if it meets the conditions laid down in law. The Authority also describes the wider structure: part of the gambling sector is liberalised - raffles, card rooms and remote gambling - while the remaining activities are either reserved to the state operator or require a concession.

The Law and the Regulator

The governing statute is Act XXXIV of 1991 on gambling operations (a szerencsejáték szervezéséről szóló 1991. évi XXXIV. törvény, the Szjtv.), applied through SZTFH decrees - including Decree 20/2021 (X. 29.) on the licensing, conduct and inspection of individual games and Decree 5/2021 (X.21.) on the detailed rules of responsible gambling. The Authority states its own role as "A Hatóság ellátja a szerencsejáték-szervezés engedélyezésével, hatósági ellenőrzésével, felügyeletével és szabályozásával kapcsolatos feladatokat" - the Authority performs the tasks relating to the licensing, official inspection, supervision and regulation of gambling operation - and adds that it holds consumer protection powers over gambling promotion and acts against illegal gambling. Anti-money-laundering duties attach to the online casino licence directly: an online casino operator must prepare an internal policy under the Hungarian AML Act and submit it to SZTFH for approval with its licence application.

Registers the Authority Publishes

SZTFH maintains public registers for the gambling sector, including blocked gambling websites, blocked gambling advertising pages, and prohibited payment accounts. The blocked-website register lists each domain alongside the operator behind it.

Player Protection

The Authority runs a player protection freephone number, the játékosvédelmi zöld szám, on +36 80 205 352. It describes the basis for the line as section 4 of Decree 5/2021 (X.21.) read with section 1(5a)-(6d) of Act XXXIV of 1991, and the purpose as oral reports, complaints and suggestions; the line "0-24 óráig üzemel, ingyenesen hívható az egész ország területéről" - runs around the clock and is free to call from anywhere in the country. It is a regulator's reporting line rather than a clinical service. Every gambling operator must display the number on its website, and operators other than remote gambling and online casino operators must also display it at entrances and points of sale.

For treatment, section 29/J(1)(b) of Act XXXIV of 1991 requires the Authority to publish on its website at least one organisation in Hungary that deals with treating gambling addiction, with its name and contact details, and the Authority's page lists several. Licensed online casino operators must themselves offer self-exclusion - "a játékos kérésére a játékos által meghatározott időszakra az önkizárás lehetőségét", the possibility of self-exclusion at the player's request for a period the player sets - along with deposit limits, maximum session-time settings and repeated time-played warnings, and must warn that persons under 18 are prohibited from playing.