All about Hungary gambling laws and age limits

The law which regulates gambling in Hungary applies to both land-based and online gambling. The law is the Act 44 of 1991 on gambling operations. The implementation of the act however falls under Decree No. 32 of 21 October 2005.

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This decree covers the authorisation, surveillance of gambling in Hungary. Responsible gaming in Hungary is covered under Decree No. 329 of 10 November 2015. This decree spells out the rules and regulation that covers responsible gaming. Horse racing is covered under joint decree No.20 of 5 November 1991 with its special rules on horse race betting. Conferring exclusive rights to the state of Hungary falls under the Act 16 of 1991 on concession. This act also spells out how all concession contracts between third parties are handled.

Hungary defines gambling as a ‘contest of chance or a game in which a player pays cash or any other form of consideration for the opportunity to participate’.

Hungary also defines gambling as the ‘receipt of a cash prize or something of value in the event of a certain outcome or future contingent event’. Since winning or losing is entirely dependent on chance and cannot be a certainty unless some sort of rigging or fixing is involved, then betting also qualifies as gambling.

 Online gambling under Hungarian laws is not clearly defined. This is because all forms of gambling can be carried out online, but when gambling is carried out through communications networks or through the use of equipment, it is defined as Remote gambling and online gambling can be classified under it. Under the law remote gambling covers all forms of sports betting with the use of networks and communication equipment.

There are regulatory and government bodies whose responsibility for the supervision of gambling falls under.

This regulatory body is the National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary. All registration, licensing, supervision of slot machines, promotional contest, gambling operations fall under the purview of this regulatory body. The body does not specify how many licenses it has to issue to for gambling services. The only clause it states is for the issuance of casino licenses. All gambling services will fall under the concession contract covered under Act 16 of 1991 of concession. The law also states that the number of concessions which the state can give rest solely at the state’s discretion.

There are different gambling products which legislation has clearly identified plus the different requirements for each of these gambling products. For poker, no specific definition was given, but the Hungarian laws covers card games under which poker falls. The law defines card games as games by which a player registers or plays by been physically present, all with a pack of cards. Registering to play the card game will qualify as remote gambling.

Sports betting under Hungarian law has been broken down into specific categories.

The first specific category is Horse race betting which is includes all type betting, bookmarking on horse and greyhound races. The next category is Sports Pool which covers all bets wagered in a totaliser scheme where the player bets on the prediction of a football match outcome. There is also remote gambling which is the broader scope that covers all forms of sports betting inclusive of horse race betting, greyhound betting, bets on all sports events carried out with the aid of communication and network equipment.

Casino games fall under class 1 casinos which cover 100 games, or card tables, at least 1000 slot machines. Class 2 casinos are every other type of casinos that do not fall under class 1. Any game organised with the use of networks and communications equipment for the playing of games is defined as an online casino. It is good to not that the law also states that casino games can be organised by a concession company. Moving to slot machines, the definition rests on the regulatory body.

Online casinos always state that the legal age to be able to take part in any game or register on the casino site is 18 years. All bonuses like 500% first deposit bonus will not be applicable to any persons under the age of 18. You are not allowed to participate in any form of gambling as long as you are under the legal age.

This age limit is also not only applied to just persons under 18 but also persons who the court has placed under guardianship, have limiting legal competency, addicts to gambling or persons who the court have deemed legally incompetent due to an addiction to gambling.

Hungary rests in the Central of Europe and has Budapest as its capital. The country has the 57^th largest economy in the world, highly invested in exports. The country has a large enough economy to cater to the diverse nature of its citizens and its visitors. Online gambling is the way and the future of gambling. This jewel in central Europe has followed the development in the gaming industry by clearly stating in its laws just how online gambling is regulated and set up in the country. The regulatory body which ensures that gambling within the country follows the law is the National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary.

Another important aspect to Hungarian gambling laws is the age limit.

The law clearly places it at 18 years old. Any persons under this age are prohibited from taking part in any form of gambling. If for any reason you do take part in gambling when you are under the legal age limit, you will forfeit any and all winnings which you make. There will be no recourse for you towards claiming your funds. This is so because the law will not be on your side.

That been said, there are numerous opportunities for online gambling in Hungary which you can take part in. Enjoy bonuses, enjoy new casinos, enjoy various games of poker and slot machines in this jewel of central Europe called Hungary.