Hungary’s real-money gaming scene in 2021
Thanks to a number of amendments made to national gambling legislation during the last decade, Hungary’s real money gaming scene is well on the way to blossoming into a lucrative industry. As gambling activities gain mainstream attention on a global level, let’s take a closer look at the real money gaming options that are available to residents and holidaymakers here in Hungary.
Centuries in the Making
Like much of mainland Europe, Hungary’s relationship with real money gaming stretches back for centuries. The first known gambling legislation in the country came during the reign of Queen Maria Teresa Habsburg, who introduced a law governing lotteries in 1752.
The popularity of card games and horse racing grew considerably during the early 19th century, and in 1827, the first National Casino was opened in the country.
The gambling industry has, of course, changed considerably since those days and now the Casino Sopron has the honour of being the oldest functioning casino in the country, despite opening just over 3 decades ago in 1989.
Gambling’s Current State of Play in Hungary
According to the European Casino Association, the Hungarian casino industry has “boomed” thanks to the 2014 amendments made to gambling legislation and felt “the positive effects” of a national crackdown on street slot machines back in 2012.
The latest published data on gambling revenues confirms this, showing soaring profits between the years 2013 and 2017, rising from €51 million to a substantial €107 million. Meanwhile, the development of the industry has seen the number of land-based casinos rise from 3 to 11 in that same period, creating treble the number of employment opportunities.
Year |
No. of Casinos |
No. of Employees |
Gross Revenue (€) |
2017 |
11 |
1200 |
107m |
2013 |
3 |
400 |
51m |
The gambling industry is controlled and regulated by both the National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV), which oversees and controls the licensing process for real money operators and the Szerencsejáték Felügyelet (Gambling Supervisory Authority), the body that oversees all regulated real money gaming activities within the country, including iGaming.
Land-Based and Online Casino Gaming
Also in keeping with other European gambling industries, the gaming options that are available in Hungary can be found both online and in brick-and-mortar establishments.
The regulated casino games in Hungary are as follows:
Table Games:
- American Roulette (single zero)
- Blackjack
- Caribbean Stud Poker
- Casino War
- Punto Banco
- Slot Machines
- Texas Hold’em
- Three Card Poker
- Ultimate Texas Hold’em
Electronic Roulette Games:
- Alfastreet
- Amatic
- EGT
Brick and Mortar Casinos
There are currently 11 brick and mortar casinos operating in Hungary. The largest gaming community can be found in Budapest, which has 5 different casinos offering a combined total of 49 table games and 789 slot and video poker machines.
The largest land-based casino in the country is situated in Budapest’s VIII district, the Las Vegas Casino Corvin, which operates 240 gaming machines and 9 table games.
Online Casinos
In 2015, the developing online gambling market in Hungary became restricted by new legislation that effectively granted exclusive rights to online provisions to the four land-based casino licensees in the country. Online casino games, including ranked card games like poker, can only be operated by the same licensee company that operates a legal land-based casino.
Foreign private companies, meanwhile, can apply for a license to operate casino gaming platforms, however, a bill passed in 2014 states that they can only do so by paying a premium tax rate of 15%.
While the regulations regarding establishing an online casino platform in Hungary are complex, leading to a scarcity of gaming websites operating in the country, some leading European brands nevertheless accept players from Hungary onto their gaming platforms. Operators like 888 Casino (established in 1997) are able to provide offshore solutions for Hungarian gamblers, and thus enabling you to play online blackjack, roulette, and a variety of exciting online slots games.
Lotteries and Sports Betting
Online casino gambling options may be limited for Hungarian residents, but there are several other real money gaming options available, including playing lottery competitions and sports betting.
The national lottery is by far the most popular form of real money gaming in the country, despite it being a state monopoly. In February 2020, Hungary Today reported that over 5.4 million weekly lottery tickets had been sold for the 15.5 million jackpot game Ötöslottó, while on average a total of around 3.3 million tickets are sold on a weekly basis.
Controlled entirely by the Szerencsejáték Zrt., Hungarian lottery games can be played both online and offline and include scratchcard games and a number of varieties such as:
- 5-ös Lottó
- 6-os Lottó
- Keno
- Ötöslottó
- Skandináv Lottó
Hungary is also one of the countries currently participating in the Eurojackpot, meaning that Hungarian residents are eligible to play in the European lottery (this doesn’t include the Euromillions game, however).
Another real money activity that is widespread in Hungary is sports betting, particularly betting on football games. Also a monopoly of the state-run Szerencsejáték Zrt. its subsidiary company, Tippmix, operates both online and offline wagering in the country for all sports except horse racing.
Horse racing betting activities are operated by the Magyar Lóversenyfogadást-szervező Kft. however, their provision doesn’t as yet extend to online betting, despite the development of online betting technology across the country.
Due to the betting market being a monopoly of the state, foreign sportsbooks cannot enter the market and establish online platforms. Unlicensed URLs are subsequently blocked by the government; however, this ruling doesn’t prevent Hungarians from placing bets with platforms that are operational in other EU countries.
Interestingly, activities like fantasy football betting and eSports betting are not regulated separately like betting on horse racing, so they too fall under the remit of the Szerencsejáték Zrt.
Photo: Envato
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