The draft law would allow European Economic Area gambling operators to enter in Hungary from January 1, 2023, thereby excluding UK operators, Telex writes.

The draft regulation may formally meet EU expectations, but in practice forms the basis for the further expansion of the Habony-Garancsi group of investors, HVG concludes.

The Orbán government established a monopoly for online gaming in 2013, giving the rights to state gaming company Szerencse¬játék, which went against EU guidelines.

Foreign sports betting companies, such as Unibet and Sporting Odds, have challenged the Hungarian regulations in court, arguing that restrictions on competition violate EU principles, and the European Court of Justice accepted their objections five years ago.

The government has also recently assigned control of gaming to the Regulatory Authority (SZTFH), chaired by Marcell Biró, a former state secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office. The bill authorises the head of the SZTFH to oversee online gaming.

The bill requires operators to have at least Ft 1 billion in capital, at least five years of experience in organising gaming, and its owners must have no criminal convictions in the preceding ten years.