The parliament of Hungary is considering a bill to end the state monopoly on online sports betting. The market would be opened to private operators from the European Union.
The last time Hungary’s gaming laws were written, in 2014, brick and mortar casinos were allowed to have online casino and poker games but sports betting was reserved for a state-run monopoly, Szerencsejáték Zrt.
If the bill is passed, an unlimited number of European operators could obtain permission from the country’s gaming regulator to operate within Hungary. Operators who defied Hungary’s laws and operated previously without a license within the last ten years would be banned from operating there.
Following a lawsuit by the Kindred Group, in 2017 the European Court of Justice ruled that Hungary was illegally excluding European operators.
The draft law emphasizes consumer protections and contains this provision: “Therefore, the draft aims to liberalize remote gambling by emphasizing the protection of players and introducing guarantee regulatory elements that protect the interests of players.”
A tax rate for operators remains to be determined.
