Hungarian regulator, Szabályozott Tevékenységek Felügyeleti Hatóságahe (SZTFH) has started blocking gambling sites and affiliates that are unlicensed to operate in the country.
According to the latest block list published by the regulator, 450 domains have been blocked including sport betting, online casino, and cryptocurrency gambling platforms.
The list of blocked sites includes:
- Unibet
- BetOnline
- Intertops
- PokerStars
- Parimatch
- Playzilla
- Rabona
The latest attempts to remove unlicensed gambling operators from the Hungarian market follows the protracted fight between unlicensed operators and the Hungarian government. The regulator first began blocking unlicensed sites back in 2014, but faced multiple lawsuits as a result. In 2017, all blocks on EU-based operators were lifted as a direct result of a decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union CJEU.
However, when the government opted to partially open the market to applications from private gambling operators in 2023, bans were once again introduced for those failing to hold the required license. The licensing conditions state that applicants must have held a license in an EEA country in the 5 years prior to applying.
According to the SZTFH, no foreign operators have applied for a license for online sports betting or online casino gaming.
As a result, of the regulator’s moves to ban unlicensed sites, operators such as bet365 have since exited the Hungarian market.
Gambling industry journalist with a background in online poker and trading. Covering the regulated U.S Sports industry and the exciting world of online poker.