How to get a gambling licence in Hungary: 120 days to market

The SZTFH is an independent regulatory body that licenses, inspects and supervises gambling organisers (Szjtv. § 7). It issues the organiser licence for every licensed game, remote gambling and online casino included.

• Act LIX of 2026 entered into force on 1 October 2026. It removed the SZTFH's concession tasks: the SZTFH's prior consent to concession tenders and contracts is no longer required (Ktv. § 29 (5)), the Concession Council inside the SZTFH is abolished (Sztfhtv. §§ 21-25 repealed), and the SZTFH President hands the concession files to the minister responsible for state assets within 30 days.
• Gambling licensing and supervision stay with the SZTFH. The Szjtv. text itself carries no Act LIX footnote.
• Where a concession is needed, it is concluded in the State's name by the minister or central body designated under Ktv. § 5 (1), not with the SZTFH.
• The SZTFH is also the anti-money-laundering supervisor of gambling organisers, and the consumer-protection authority for the ban on advertising unlicensed gambling. There is no separate gambling advertising regulator.
• On 8 September 2026 the finance minister told Parliament that the matter of the gambling concessions will be on the agenda in the coming weeks. As of 30 October 2026 no bill or draft decree on it has been published.

Laws that apply

• Szjtv., 1991. évi XXXIV. törvény a szerencsejáték szervezéséről (Gambling Act), consolidated version 2026.10.01
• 20/2021. (X. 29.) SZTFH rendelet (Vhr.), licensing, running and supervision, amended by 8/2026. (VIII. 17.) SZTFH rendelet
• 19/2021. (X. 29.) SZTFH rendelet, personal suitability
• 3/2022. (I. 24.) SZTFH rendelet, supervision fee and administrative service fees
• 5/2021. (X. 21.) SZTFH rendelet, responsible gambling; 4/2021. (X. 21.) SZTFH rendelet, AML/CFT internal rules
• 1991. évi XVI. törvény a koncesszióról (Ktv.), concessions; 2026. évi LIX. törvény (Act LIX of 2026)

The Szjtv. licenses the organiser only. Remote gambling and online casino are separate licence classes, each with its own application, and a separate application must be filed for each game (Szjtv. § 7/B (1)).

• The licence covers only the organiser named, the approved game plan and the period stated, and cannot be transferred (Szjtv. § 9 (2)).
• Neither the Szjtv. nor the Vhr. provides a renewal procedure for these classes: the licence ends at the date printed and further organising needs a new application.
• The Court of Justice held in Sporting Odds (C-3/17, 28 February 2018) that Article 56 TFEU precludes a reservation of online casino games to land-casino concession holders in the Szjtv. as then in force. The consolidated Szjtv. (version 2026.10.01) still carries a materially similar reservation in § 3 (1b).
• Land-based licences give no online right.

A remote-gambling applicant must be a company meeting the Vhr. conditions. An EEA company registered outside Hungary applies through a representative and then organises through a Hungarian branch.

• The applicant, or an affiliated enterprise, must have at least five years' experience of organising remote gambling or online casino under a licence issued by an EEA authority (Vhr. § 16/A (1)).
• The representative is registered by the SZTFH before the application is filed. They must be a Hungarian citizen resident in Hungary, hold a master's degree in law or economics (or an equivalent), have full legal capacity and no criminal record (Vhr. § 16/D (2)).
• The branch must be created and registered within 90 days of the licence, with a representative who is resident in Hungary (Vhr. § 16/C (3)-(5)).
• A company registered outside the EEA has no representation route and no branch route. The instruments set no ownership-nationality test for a Hungarian-registered applicant.
• The SZTFH tests personal suitability of the applicant, its beneficial owner, executive officers and members. A licence is refused where one of them was finally convicted within the 3 years before the application of a listed offence group, or where the applicant, an officer or a 25% member has a public or tax debt above HUF 10 million older than 30 days (Szjtv. § 2 (4)-(5)).
• Suitability can be established on its own, before and independent of a licence application; the certificate is valid for three years and does not authorise organising (Szjtv. § 7/B (5)).
• Player funds are held on a Hungarian bank account kept separate from all other assets (Szjtv. § 29/H (5)).

For remote gambling the weight is capital and security rather than fees: the capital is held, the security is refundable, and only the organisation fee and the administrative and supervision fees are spent.

• The supervision fee is declared and paid each quarter by the end of the month after the quarter; late payment carries interest at twice the central-bank base rate (Szjtv. § 36/C, § 36/E).
• There is no fixed annual licence fee for either class and no fixed responsible-gambling levy. The audit fee is negotiated with the auditor and has no statutory amount.
• The licence is issued only after the administrative service fee is paid. Non-payment of the organisation fee is a ground for withdrawing the licence (Szjtv. § 13 (1b)).
• The security is returned on expiry or withdrawal of the licence, and if the SZTFH draws on it the organiser tops it up within 8 days (Szjtv. § 10 (2), (4)).
• A second website means a second licence with its own application. The instruments do not say whether a second licence carries a second organisation fee.

There is no application window for remote gambling: the procedure starts on application at any time (Szjtv. § 7/B (1)). Filing is electronic, through the Hivatali kapu of the SZTFH.

• Statutory attachments: the game plan, participation rules, a budget (draft economic calculations stating planned revenue, costs, gaming tax and the estimated annual average of player balances), the founding document, personal-suitability documents, the auditor's audit instrument and proof of payment of the administrative service fee (Szjtv. § 7/B (3), § 29/F (1a); Vhr. § 18 (7)).
• The SZTFH's remote-gambling page adds an internal AML/CFT and sanctions policy, the full audit documentation, a description of the technical-informatic system and of the remote-access solution for the SZTFH server, and proof of five years' organiser experience.
• Foreign documents come with a Hungarian translation, certified on request. Criminal record certificates are filed for the beneficial owner, executive officers and members, or a declaration that they have been requested (19/2021. Annex 1).
• A deficient application gets a deficiency notice within 15 days of receipt, at most three times (Szjtv. § 7/A (3)).
• No appeal to a higher authority exists. The party may bring an administrative lawsuit against the final decision in the regional court within 30 days of notification (Ákr. § 114, § 116; Kp. § 12).

There is no laboratory certificate. Before applying, the server and the game functions on it are audited, and the audit instrument goes in with the application.

• The auditor must be registered under the Hungarian cybersecurity act in the significant or high class and hold accredited status for gambling systems (Szjtv. § 1 (11a), in force 1 January 2026). The auditor may not be linked to any organiser (§ 35/B). The SZTFH publishes a register of auditors under decree 7/2024.
• The audit instrument is valid for up to 2 years (Szjtv. § 1/C). A significant change in technology, IT or security environment, game functions or application needs a new audit (Vhr. § 16).
• Remote gambling: the server must be in Hungary, with permanent remote access for the SZTFH (Szjtv. § 29/G). Online casino: the server must be in an EEA state, and the casino may be offered only to a player connecting from a Hungarian IP address (§ 29/N, § 29/M).
• Data go to the SZTFH monthly by the 20th of the following month on form SZTFH 37 (Szjtv. § 29/K). Records are kept for six years (§ 1 (7a)).
• No local domain extension is required. The operating permit is published by the SZTFH and the organiser's website must link to it directly (Vhr. § 14). Site information must be in Hungarian (Szjtv. § 29/I (1)).
• No minimum or maximum RTP is set for online games. The Vhr. betting chapter caps the stake at HUF 100,000 per bet and the win at HUF 2 million per bookmaker bet (§ 52 (5), § 53 (1)); it does not say in terms that it binds remote gambling, but it names remote gambling in § 52 (6) b) and § 53 (6). Online casino has no cap on the stake or the win.

The gambling tax (játékadó) is self-assessed: the organiser determines, declares and pays it (Szjtv. §§ 31-35). The base is net gaming revenue, not stakes or turnover.

• Remote gambling net revenue is stakes received less winnings paid and stakes refunded on void bets. Online casino tax is worked cumulatively from the first day of the tax year, less tax already worked and the gross concession fee in proportion to the month (Szjtv. § 35 (3)).
• A gift bonus or special bonus allowed by the approved game plan does not increase revenue (Szjtv. § 29/H (6), § 29/R (2)). The contractual fee for sports rights can be deducted pro rata (§ 32 (6)).
• The return and payment fall due by the twentieth day of the month after the tax month (Art. Annex 3, Part I, point 5.1).
• Corporate income tax is 9%. Gambling services are exempt from VAT. The advertising tax rate is 0%.

Organisers carry the duties; the licensing file tests them through the game plan and the audit.

• Minimum age is 18. The player is registered and verified before any credit or debit on the player balance (Szjtv. § 29/H; Vhr. § 23 (1)).
• The SZTFH keeps a statutory player-protection register of self-limitation declarations and persons under guardianship. A player can enter for 1, 3 or 5 years, and only licensed organisers consult it.
• The organiser must let the player set a maximum for deposits, and must apply the choice within 1 hour. Tightening takes effect at once and a limit cannot be eased before the period ends (Szjtv. § 29/I (2) b); 5/2021 § 11).
• The 18+ and harm warnings appear on every page of the website or app, with the player-protection green number (5/2021 § 1 (1a), § 4 (2)).
• An annual player-protection action plan is filed, and responsible persons attend the SZTFH in person for the annual consultation (Vhr. § 16/E (4)).
• Players may complain to the SZTFH directly. The general consumer-protection rule requires a written answer within thirty days.

Advertising of gambling organised in Hungary without an SZTFH licence is banned (Reklámtv. § 21).

• The advertiser, the advertising service provider, the publisher and the person shown in a prohibited advertisement are fined jointly at ten times the benefit gained and at least HUF 10 million (Szjtv. § 2 (7a)).
• The SZTFH can order blocking of advertising pages (Szjtv. § 36/G (1) c)), and issued a call to influencers on 17 August 2026.
• Advertising may not call on children or minors to take part (Reklámtv. § 21 (1)). Persons appearing in advertising are not barred as a category.

Organisers of remote gambling and online casino are service providers under Pmt. § 1 (1) i), supervised by the SZTFH.

• The SZTFH applies Pmt. measures and administrative sanctions to organisers and their officers (Szjtv. § 13 (3)). Its AML decree is 4/2021. (X. 21.) SZTFH rendelet.
• Identity is verified at registration, which is the start of the business relationship.
• The financial intelligence unit sits inside the tax authority (NAV). The central bank (MNB) supervises payment providers and receives the SZTFH's calls to stop servicing prohibited gambling.
• Players pay in from accounts at payment providers licensed in Hungary (Szjtv. § 11 (5)).

The Szjtv. creates no licence for game developers, platform or content providers or aggregators.

• Suppliers are bound through the licensed organiser, which attaches its contracts with game providers and studio-game documents to the online-casino application.
• The organiser gives the SZTFH technical information on request from its technical service providers, with their consent (Szjtv. § 29/F (3)).
• A supplier engaged in activity under the Act can be fined HUF 500,000 to 100 million for selling, organising or intermediary activity for unlicensed gambling (Szjtv. § 12 (1), (3) d)).

The SZTFH orders blocking of prohibited gambling websites and keeps a public list of blocked sites.

• Blocking orders are carried out by electronic communications providers, supervised by the NMHH (Szjtv. § 36/H (2)).
• The SZTFH can suspend a licence for up to 3 years, or immediately for up to 6 months for remote gambling where the server rule is breached, and then withdraw it (Szjtv. § 13, § 29/G).
• Prohibited gambling organisation is both a petty offence (Szabs. tv. § 191) and a criminal offence (Btk. § 360).

The remote-gambling route in the order the instruments set it. Figures are in the capital and fees tables above.

1. 01

   Check eligibility

   Hungarian or EEA company

   Confirm five years of organiser experience under an EEA licence, held by the applicant or an affiliated enterprise, and that no refusal ground in Szjtv. § 2 (4)-(5) applies.

2. 02

   Register the representative

   SZTFH 150, 75 days

   An EEA company outside Hungary has a representative empowered by public deed registered with the SZTFH before it applies.

3. 03

   Have the system audited

   Before filing

   An accredited, registered auditor audits the server and game functions. The audit instrument is an attachment to the application.

4. 04

   File the application

   SZTFH 151, 120 days

   Upload the game plan, participation rules, budget, founding document, suitability documents and AML policy, and pay the administrative service fee shown in the fees table.

5. 05

   Pay the organisation fee and lodge the security

   30 days from final licence

   The organisation fee falls due in one sum after the licence becomes final. Hold the share capital and the security at the levels in the fees table.

6. 06

   Register the branch and go live

   Within 90 days of licence

   An EEA company registers its Hungarian branch. Put the server in Hungary with SZTFH remote access, link the operating permit on the site, then pay supervision fee and gaming tax on time.

Tier-ordered: official government first, then practitioner, then trade media. Every primary figure was read from the in-force text on 30 Oct 2026.