Hungary – Online Casinos & Gambling Regulations
The gambling regulations in Hungary are among the strictest in Europe. Gambling is legal, and there’s a local gambling license to be had, but very few online casinos are actually eligible to obtain this license. However, the rules imposed by the Hungarian government may or may not be legally enforceable because they may conflict with the EU regulations that are meant to ensure an open market with fair trade between the different EU member states. So, whatever is going to happen is, at the moment, a matter that’s up to the court systems in both Hungary and the EU to decide.As things stand now, though, there are plenty of Hungarian online casino options for you to choose from. Some casinos are licensed by the local gambling authorities to operate in the country, and others are regulated through international licenses. The third option, which is not recommended, is gambling online at a casino without a license.
Finding the best Hungarian casino online
Which operator offers the very best online casino in Hungary is not a question that is easily answered. It all depends on what you’re looking for. You should try to determine which games you want to try, whether you want a casino that’s geared towards low rollers or high rollers, and, of course, which bonus options you’d like to have. In addition, there are several other questions you should ask yourself before you try to decide which online casino you want to sign up and play at. Some of the questions you’ll need to consider are as follows:
- Does the casino offer a Hungarian website, or will you have to use an English site?
- Is it possible to gamble using HUF, or will you have to use a different currency?
- What about cryptocurrencies? Does the casino support bitcoin or other crypto for deposits and withdrawals?
- Will you be eligible to claim any bonuses for signing up or making your first deposit, and is there a good loyalty program for Hungarian players?
- Where is the casino licensed? Do they have a Hungarian gambling license, or will you be playing under another a license from another jurisdiction?
If you want to zone in on the best Hungarian casino as quickly as possible, then you’re in the right place. GoodLuckmate has already compiled a complete list of all the available options. This should make it fast and easy for you to compare the different options open to you and choose the one that suits you best.
Hungarian gambling regulation
In Hungary it is, in theory, possible for iGaming companies to obtain a gambling license, but in reality, it’s almost a monopoly. To get a license, a company first needs to have a land-based presence, such as a casino, and second, they need to have had a good reputation in the country for a minimum of 10 years. It goes without saying that these are conditions most online casinos aren’t able to comply with. These somewhat unfair regulations are the root of the ongoing legal battles between iGaming companies and the Hungarian regulators.
Since the gambling authorities in Hungary are all but blocking online casinos based in other countries from entering the market, these rules might not stand up in court. This is why online casinos that use licenses from other member states in the European Union, such as Malta, have so far been able to allow Hungarians to sign up. If you choose to play at a casino that’s not licensed in Hungary, but in Malta or Gibraltar instead, you’ll still be protected while you’re playing, not by Hungary, but rather by the regulations of the jurisdiction that issued the gambling license.
Casino in Hungary
Since a land-based presence is needed to obtain a local gambling license, there are a lot of land-based options for you to choose from when you’re in this country and you want to gamble. In Budapest alone, there are 5 casinos you can visit, as long as you’re 18 years of age or older, which is by the way, also the legal age limit for online gambling. Gambling online is also possible, and you’ll have even more options if you choose this option.
There are hundreds of casinos online that are ready to accept new players from Hungary, and most of them will even reward you with a bonus for registering and making your first deposit. The bonuses offered are perhaps the biggest reason most players prefer to gamble online rather than at physical casinos, along with the ease and convenience of it all. Online, it doesn’t matter if you want to gamble for 5 minutes, an hour or even several hours at a time, since you can enter and leave the casino in one or two clicks. This is, without a doubt, easier and more convenient than playing at land-based casinos, not least of all because there’s no dress code online!
Dispute resolution – can I get help from a third party?
A gambling license is intended to protect players, and one of its main functions is to provide a mechanism for resolving disputes when they come up. If you have a dispute with a casino, and the casino is being unreasonable, the gambling authority will help you. For many licenses, this means you can contact the gambling authority to get help processing your withdrawals, claiming money the casino has debited from your account, or resolving other disputes that might arise. The likelihood that the gambling authority will help you in ways that are effective, however, depends on the procedures they have in place for this. This is yet another reason why choosing to play at a casino that has a safe license is important.
Getting help directly from the gambling authority is not always necessary, or even an option. A lot of regulators have now enforced third-party dispute resolution. This means casinos must have an agreement with an arbitrator who will look into disputes on the behalf of players from a particular casino. This ensures your dispute will be reviewed by an objective third party. All trusted online casinos have information about arbitration on their websites if they use this option, or they’ll have the contact information for the gambling authority you should consult. However, you should always try to resolve your issues with the casino first, and a lot of casinos have separate email addresses specifically for handling complaints.
Secure payments – can I trust a casino with my money?
If you’re worried about the security of the transactions you’re making at a casino, you should look for a logo with the acronym PCI DSS. This stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, and this is something the payment industry has created. If you see this logo, it means the casino can be trusted for safe money transactions since they follow all of the rules set by the payment industry. Information about this can also be found in an FAQ section on the casino’s website.
Another thing to look out for in terms of payments is where your money is kept while you play. Some gambling authorities, all of the best ones actually, regulate what the casino can do with your money while they are holding it. Your money shouldn’t go into a general bank account held by the casino; it should go into an account that is strictly for holding player funds. This means that as long as you have the money in your player account, it can’t be spent by the casino. Your deposit will be kept separate from the operating funds of the casino until your player account is empty, which will happen if you make a funds withdrawal or if you lose the money while playing.Fair gaming – do the games give me a fair chance to win?
The best known system tool for ensuring that a casino offers fair games is eCogra; however, there are other providers that also offer these kinds of systems. You want to make sure that the casino is using a certified third-party control system to ensure that the games of chance you’re playing are actually based on chance and not on other types of metrics. Rigged games are ones that have been set up to pay out less than they claim to or ones that give some players a greater chance of winning than others.
The eCogra logo can often be found in the footer of the casino’s website, but not all casinos choose to display it. If you can’t see this logo, go to the FAQs and see if you can find information about random number generators. If there are no FAQs on the site, check out their terms and conditions or contact the casino’s support and ask how they ensure their games are safe.
Encrypted website – how is my information kept safe?
An SSL-encrypted website should be mandatory for any casino, and very few casinos operate without this or similar safe encryption features. Always keep in mind that you are giving the casino quite a bit of sensitive information, including your payment details. When you’re uploading and sending documents to verify your identity, you want to make sure that no unauthorized third-party has access to them. Site security, therefore, doesn’t only include the website itself but also what the casino does on the backend. You should always look into a casino’s data security. You’ll normally find information about this in their terms and conditions and their privacy policy. If in doubt, contact their support and ask for more detailed information.
Most trustworthy casinos have information about site security in the website footer, so simply scroll down and look for the logo of a well-known security system.
Gambling license – can I play at a casino from my country?
The gambling license a casino operates under will have a big impact on your security. Not all licenses are equally safe for players for the simple reason that they are issued by different gambling authorities that work in different ways and have different rules. The rules and regulations may be quite similar, but the way they are enforced is a different story entirely. For example, if a casino doesn’t comply with the regulations, some gambling authorities may just issue a fine while others may revoke the casino’s license outright. How often gambling authorities show up for an unscheduled inspection or control will also vary.
The biggest differences between a safe, high quality gambling license and one that isn’t as good will usually show up in the areas of fair gaming, dispute resolution and the rules and systems for identifying and handling problem gamblers (responsible gambling). If your country of residence has its own gambling authority, playing at casinos that are licensed by them will be the safest option for you. Other international licenses that can be trusted are issued by the Malta Gambling Authority and the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority. Curacao eGaming is getting better at protecting players whereas licenses from Panama and Costa Rica, for instance, are considered less safe. The worst option is obviously a casino with no license whatsoever.
Our casino experts have tried and tested all aspects of each and every casino, so you can feel confident when signing up.
