Hungarian Online Casino Winners Face Obstacles

HUNGARY – As reported by the Budapest Business: "Locals using the services of foreign-headquartered online gambling operations may find themselves in trouble when it comes to claiming their prizes, because such services are considered to be illegal under Hungary's Gambling Act, an official at the Gambling Supervision (SzT) warned last week.

"The supervision is currently investigating the activity of online betting sites, especially that of the world's largest online betting group, Sportingbet Plc, which launched its Hungarian language gambling service at www.sportingbet.com in mid-May.

"'We believe the internet-based service [of Sportingbet] violates the Hungarian Gambling Act in several ways,' said László Oravecz, department head at the Gambling Supervision.

"…Oravecz said people who decide to avail themselves of such gambling services run the risk that their prizes cannot be legally claimed within the territory of Hungary. Participation – in certain cases – may also qualify as a breach of law and may lead to legal proceedings, he said…"