Turnover of Legal Gambling Market in Hungary Increases

The Regulated Activities Supervisory Authority (SZTFH) has reported a significant increase in the turnover of Hungary’s legal gambling market.

Since 2014, the SZTFH and its predecessor have actively blocked access to illegal gambling websites, preventing Hungarian players from using them. In 2024 and 2025 alone, over 2,000 such sites have been blocked. This aggressive enforcement has led to a sharp rise in traffic and revenue within the legal gambling sector, marking a notable shift away from the dominance of illegal operators in previous years.

A core mission of the SZTFH is to eliminate unlicensed online gambling platforms and the advertising networks that promote them, thereby “whitening” the Hungarian gambling market. Recent legislative reforms have strengthened the Authority’s ability to act swiftly—now allowing it to block not only illegal gambling sites but also associated promotional and affiliate pages. These changes have also enabled real-time tracking and immediate blocking of sites that frequently change domain names to evade detection. As a result, visits to illegal gambling platforms have dropped significantly.

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The SZTFH emphasizes that unlicensed operators are not bound by Hungary’s player protection regulations. This means that players using these platforms have no legal recourse in Hungarian courts to claim winnings, and such operators undermine both consumer safety and the economic interests of the Hungarian state. Moreover, these sites do not participate in the national player protection registry, which is designed to prevent individuals—either self-excluded or court-ordered—from accessing gambling services.

To safeguard Hungarian players and enhance the competitiveness of the legal market, the SZTFH remains committed to eradicating illegal gambling. It plans to continue its rigorous blocking efforts using innovative tools and strategies. A list of licensed gambling operators and blocked illegal sites is available on the Authority’s official website.

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