Land-Based Casinos in Hungary
According to the register of the Supervisory Authority of Regulated Activities (SZTFH), 10 land-based casinos held a licence in September 2026. They are Casino Sopron in Sopron, Casino Win Győr in Győr, Casino Win Pécs in Pécs, Tropicana Casino Miskolc in Miskolc and Grand Casino in Debrecen. In Budapest there are Las Vegas Casino Atlantis, Las Vegas Casino Atrium Eurocenter, Las Vegas Casino Corvin, Las Vegas Casino Tropicana and Sofistiq Casino, the former Las Vegas Casino Sofitel. The Onyx casino in Nyíregyháza is no longer on the list. The very first licensed online casino in Hungary was Vegas.hu which was opened in February 2017. The owner is a company called LVC Diamond. LVC Diamond later received licences for kaszino.hu and xcasino.hu as well. In September 2026 these three sites were the only licensed online casinos in the SZTFH register, and all of them are run by LVC Diamond. Many had hoped that the direction of the law would lead to further openings in the market, but that has not happened in the online casino segment. Online casinos in Hungary are also legal. The very first games for Internet resources were released in 1998 by Szerencsejáték. Since 2002, citizens have had the opportunity to bet on sporting events by using text messaging. Important amendments were introduced in July 2013, and from 1 January 2023 remote sports betting was opened to licensed operators from the European Economic Area. Operations of gaming resources are regulated by the 1991 Gambling Law and the subsequent amendments. Only a company that holds a concession to run a land-based casino in Hungary may organise online casino games. Online casinos may only accept players connecting from Hungarian IP addresses. A company that opens a portal must have a legal address in Hungary. The license for operating Internet resources is valid for 5 years. Well-known operators claim that opening an online casino in Hungary is associated with high costs. As a result, foreign providers have not been too keen on obtaining licenses. Today there are virtually no licensed internet portals created by well-known operators in the country. Remote gambling licences in the SZTFH register cover only tippmixpro.hu of Szerencsejáték and vegas.hu (September 2026). These two sites are also the most visited licensed gambling sites in Hungary.
Gambling Games in Hungary
In April the casino signed a cooperation agreement with Greentube. This is when Hungarian players gained access to the developer's most played slots such as Sizzling Hot, Book of Ra, Lucky Lady´s Charm and others. The players can also play roulette games, video poker, blackjack and table games with live dealers. The website features a decent selection of payment systems. Transactions can be done by using credit cards and prepaid debit cards, bank transfers and most used European electronic payment systems such as: Skrill and Neteller. It should also be noted that the small number of online casinos is not a problem for Hungarian players. The authorities block illegal websites, and since 2023 SZTFH has also restricted payments to unlicensed gambling sites through banks. Even so, penalties against gamblers that play on foreign online portals are not imposed. As a result, Hungarian citizens often become clients of offshore casinos that feature bonuses, various payment methods and a wide selection of games. Brands such as Shuffle, BetOnRed, Bitcasino, Ice Casino and EnergyCasino are widely used by local players, but none of them holds a Hungarian licence. Among slots, Hungarian players stay loyal to Greentube classics such as Book of Ra Deluxe, Lucky Lady's Charm Deluxe, Sizzling Hot and the "Queen" series (River Queen, Summer Queen). They also like EGT slots such as 40 Shining Crown, Supreme Hot and Flaming Hot, and Amatic titles.
Gambling Legislation
The process of legalising gambling in Hungary started back in 1991. This is when modern-day laws were passed that regulate the gambling market: Gambling Law, Act No.34 - the main act that regulates the gambling industry in both land-based establishments and online resources and Concession Law, Act No.16 secures the state's exclusive right to provide gambling services. The very first provider in the country was Szerencsejáték company, mentioned above. The company was given the monopoly on providing gambling services, initially the company was responsible for running the lotteries. The company's subsidiary TippMix was running the bookmaking market of sports betting. In 2005 Hungarian Minister of Finance signed Decree No.32, which set the licensing procedures for the gambling industry and oversaw compliance with it. The country still maintained a monopoly policy. Other companies - representatives of the gambling industry from other countries - had no opportunity to set foot in the Hungarian market. The situation began to change in 2006, when owners of Sportingbet.com appealed to the European Commission for support. The following year Hungary received a warning about the need to open the market. This is how the nation's government was forced to think about making changes in the legislation. Subsequent changes in the law were made in:
- 2010 30% tax was imposed on winnings in poker played in land-based casinos
- 2011 The market for foreign online providers opens up
- 2012 Prerequisites for licensing of foreign operators are outlined, which allow operations on the Hungarian soil
- 2013 The government authorises 11 land-based casinos to be licensed
- 2015 Detailed rules of responsible gaming are published
- 2017 The first online casino licence is granted to Vegas.hu (LVC Diamond)
- 2021 The Supervisory Authority of Regulated Activities (SZTFH) is set up and takes over gambling supervision
- 2023 Remote sports betting is opened to licensed operators from the EEA, and SZTFH starts restricting payments to unlicensed gambling sites
- 2026 The Sopron casino concession is granted to CAI Hungary until 2061. On 31 August 2026 the government orders a review of whether SZTFH should be abolished and its duties moved to other state bodies
And yet the conditions for running casino operations in the country are quite rigid. Consequently, foreign providers are not too keen on entering this market.
Gambling regulators
Gambling Supervisory Department, which was part of Hungaryʼs National Tax and Customs Office (NAV), was originally put in charge of regulating the gambling industry. Today this is done by the Supervisory Authority of Regulated Activities (Szabályozott Tevékenységek Felügyeleti Hatósága, SZTFH). SZTFH started work on 1 October 2021 and reports to parliament. Its functions are:
- Licensing of gaming companies
- Monitoring the operations and compliance with the provisions of the acting legislation
- Maintaining registers and accounting audit
- Detection of violations in the operations of the providers
- Conducting appropriate investigations
- Imposing fines and sanctions
- Prevention of operations by unlicensed companies
The authority works in cooperation with other state bodies, including consumer protection authorities. The government and parliament deal with the issues of lawmaking in the gambling industry.
Gambling Licensing
All types of gambling entertainment in Hungary are subject to licensing: card games (poker), bookmaking (sports betting or betting on other events), operations of both land-based and online casinos, slot machines and various types of lotteries including bingo, keno and joker. Running land-based casinos in Hungary, however, still remains a monopoly of the state. In other words, these operations may be run by either state-owned companies that were specially set up for this purpose or companies that were granted a concession for up to 35 years. Card rooms (poker clubs) are licensed to private companies, and around ten of them held a licence in 2026. Under the current rules, slot machines with cash prizes may be operated only in casinos. Under the earlier rules, private companies could also qualify for the right to operate arcade halls. Entrepreneurs who wanted to open a gaming club had to:
- Register a company with an authorised capital of at least 180,000 EUR. The company will only be allowed to conduct one type of operation
- Receive a departmental certificate
- Choose the premises that meet the requirements and hire personnel
- Acquire and install slot machines that are less than 5 years old
- Obtain licenses for the slot machines and the gambling hall
The departmental certificate remained valid for 1 year and costs about 18 EUR. The document will be issued within 30 days from the day the application was filed. The licenses are also subdivided into several categories: for slot machines of the 1st group — the machines that are capable of bringing at least 80% of bets for each 100,000 games, but with a maximum prize of no more than 200 times your bet per game and for machines of the 2nd group — video slots that accept no more than 200 credits per bet and pay rewards that are not bigger than 25 times the bet per game. Each machine in Hungary has to be certified. To get certified, the slots have to meet a number of requirements: be less than five years old and have production numbers and built-in controls. Premises for the hall have to be at least 90 square meters: 75 square meters for slot machines and 15 square meters for the bar. Suitability of the premises will be confirmed by a professional assessment conducted by the Mayor's Office. The minimum cost of the assessment is 16 EUR. The tax rate is formed from several components: tax on slot machines, tax on the hall and 10% to 30% of net profit. Today remote gambling, including online casinos, is taxed at 15% of net gaming revenue. The amount of the latter may vary depending on how profitable the establishment is.
Development of the Gambling Market in Hungary
It is quite difficult to predict how successful the gambling industry will develop in the country. Experts have different opinions in this regard. On the one hand, many Hungarian citizens have a negative attitude towards the development of the gambling industry. The appropriate policies on forming the public opinion are being implemented in the mass media. The themed TV shows would often touch on the issue of a negative impact that gambling has on the nation's mental health.
Besides, the players in the market have been encountering quite rigid conditioning for licensing and a high level of expenditures on setting up the operations. And yet there are some positive aspects out there. Well-known operators have been persistent in trying to change the situation for the better. Vegas.hu casino mentioned above can serve as an example. Not only did the owner manage to open an online portal, but prominent partners got involved in the cooperation as well. Its owner has since added kaszino.hu and xcasino.hu, all with a Hungarian interface. The Hungarian Government has received the appropriate recommendations on the introduction of amendments to the current legislation from the European Union. After the complaint was filed by Unibet about the discrimination and non-transparent nature of the laws, the EU advised them to introduce new amendments to the 1991 Gambling Law. This was the time when the Hungarian government heeded such recommendations. The operators are hoping that the outcome of the unfolding events will be favourable this time as well.
For years, one of the most anticipated events was the creation of a "Hungarian Las Vegas", a large gaming centre that an Austrian magnate planned to build at the Hungarian-Slovakian border. According to the preliminary assessments by the Ministry of Finance, the state could have earned an estimated 2.5 million USD once the project was launched. The project has not materialised, and no such venue appears in the SZTFH casino register. In 2026 the debate shifted to the casino concessions themselves and to the future of the regulator. Hungary is a country where gambling is legalised, yet the conditions for running gambling operations are quite rigid. The outcome of the 2026 review of SZTFH will shape how the industry develops next.
