Hungary is reviewing the future of the Supervisory Authority of Regulated Activities (SZTFH), opening the possibility that the autonomous body responsible for gambling oversight could be abolished and its functions transferred to government-controlled institutions.
A government resolution published on August 31 instructed Justice Minister Márta Görög to examine the authority’s operations, legal framework and options for reallocating its responsibilities. She must report by September 30. The resolution does not itself dissolve the SZTFH, and no successor body has been named.
Established by Parliament in 2021, the SZTFH is not subordinate to the government. In a September 1 statement, the regulator remarked that it is “subject only to legislation” and reports “exclusively to Parliament”.
The authority said it would cooperate with the review, while noting that sectors under its supervision, including gambling, tobacco, mining and cybersecurity, generate more than HUF 1 trillion, about $3.16 billion, in annual tax and contribution revenue and directly employ more than 50,000 people.
The review comes as Hungary continues to operate a formally liberalized but lightly contested online gambling market. Rules introduced in January 2023 ended the state operator’s formal monopoly over remote betting and allowed companies established in the European Economic Area to apply for licenses, subject to Hungarian suitability requirements and, for foreign EEA operators, representation through a registered local representative.
The reform followed Court of Justice of the European Union rulings on Hungary’s gambling regime. In a 2017 case involving Malta-based Unibet, the court found that requirements including 10 years of gambling experience in Hungary were discriminatory and that the amended licensing process lacked sufficient transparency.
It also ruled that penalties could not be imposed under legislation that breached the freedom to provide services.
Despite the reforms, international operators have shown little interest. In a March 2025 interview, SZTFH President László Nagy was asked how many foreign gambling companies had received a licence. “None,” he said.
Asked why, he replied: “Because none of them applied for a licence.”
The regulator’s register, last updated September 1, lists two authorized online betting sites: tippmixpro.hu, operated by state-owned Szerencsejáték Zrt, and vegas.hu, operated by Budapest-based LVC Diamond. It also lists three licensed online casino sites, all run by LVC Diamond.