Does Hungarian Gambling Landscape Need Software Like GamStop?

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Online gambling certainly has downsides. GamStop is one of the many computer programs in the United Kingdom that helps individuals with gambling addiction and limits their online gambling activities. This type of care from other parties like GambleAware, UKGC, and MGA enforces casinos to offer these services. You may have noticed Responsible Gambling policies on online casinos these days, promoting several settings and mandatory steps in your online account. It allows users to voluntarily exclude themselves from online gambling sites for a chosen period, limit depositing money, or log out after a certain number of losses and so on.

However, whether Hungary’s gambling landscape needs a similar software or program like GamStop, depends on various factors. It includes the prevalence of gambling-related issues such as regulatory requirements, customer protection, deposit withdrawal, and so on. The effectiveness of existing responsible gambling measures is certainly one of them. For those sites with non GamStop slots, it is advisable to be a part of this culture and be responsible. The specific information on the current state of Hungary’s gambling landscape or any recent developments in their regulatory approach is hard to find, yet we can give a good starting point.

Is Online Gambling Permitted in Hungary?

Besides the several gambling options available in the country, the prominent ones are betting, sports betting, card games, casinos, and online gambling. The lottery is not permitted, unfortunately. The existing regulations governing online gambling stipulate the following:

1. The exclusive rights for online horse race betting are available only to the state monopoly operator, Nemzeti Lóversenyfogadást-szervező Kft.
2. The operation of online casino games, including card games, is limited to licensees authorised to run land-based casinos in Hungary. These licensees must offer online casino games through the same company that operates the corresponding land-based casino.

To understand the current landscape of gambling in Hungary and if a program can help, we must understand the nuances better. Then, how or whether a GamStop-like software can be helpful is a separate question because unless we admit the side effects of gambling, we can’t reach a solution. Regardless of nationality, people need help. Unregulated markets can be decisive in this nature where they do not serve the customers. 

Even with GamStop, players in the UK still have access to offshore gambling sites. British gamblers play casino games with no GamStop and use gambling blockers and internal self-exclusion tools, but sometimes it is not enough. Therefore, it underlines the significance of having responsible gambling programs in the country.

If we consider the recent development in January of 2024, there have been a few amendments. It ended the monopoly of Szerencsejáték Zrt, thereby allowing for more diversity and competition in the business.

When there is competition, companies tend to provide better yields and a secure environment to lure customers and expand. The amendments facilitated this in some ways. First, licenses for online betting are only for operators situated within the European Economic Area (EEA). Second, the operators located in the EEA may apply for online betting licenses through their registered representatives in Hungary.  

In its 2018 preliminary ruling No. C 3/17, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) determined that Hungary’s law on online casinos, requiring operators to have a land-based casino in Hungary to obtain a license for operating an online casino, constitutes a restriction on the freedom to provide services under Article 56 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) that cannot be justified.

Regulation of Online Gambling: GamStop

When it comes to gambling or any kind of product, it must be regulated to prevent downsides. In this regard, the Hungarian Supervisory Authority for Regulated Activities holds the authority to instruct Hungarian Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block access to websites offering unlicensed online gambling. Next, they also take care of promotions where disseminating advertisements related to unlicensed gambling is prohibited. It is strict and has penalties too.

For example, if gambling ads violate these regulations, the gambling authority (UKGC or MGA where the website is registered) has the power to impose fines on the advertiser, the advertising service provider, the publisher of the advertising, and any person participating in the advertisement collectively. Such extended and inclusive policies allow players and businesses to take precautions and be fair. 

GamStop’s strategy is one of the best, if not obsolete, to stop and curl the habit. 

The Gambling Self-Exclusion Scheme, known as GamStop, provides a free service through its official website. This service enables individuals to implement controls to limit their online gambling activities. GamStop proves to be an effective tool for managing gambling habits. 

Summary

While regulatory bodies in different countries actively oversee sports betting operators to ensure compliance with GamStop and other responsible gaming measures. It helps to create a balance where government agencies cannot do much. That is a balance between providing freedom for responsible gamblers and implementing necessary restrictions. This factor of safety might not be appreciated at the beginning, but certainly adds a big assistance to conceivable opportunities and entertainment without addiction. From the point of view of the current generation, online gambling is just a fingertip away, and it takes a lot to regulate such activities that go unnoticed behind browser tabs and balance sheets.

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