Official language: Hungarian
Population: 10,034,000
Currency: Forint (HUF)

Current Exchange Rate
1 EUR = 265.57 HUF
1 GBP = 292.85 HUF
1 USD = 179.15 HUF

Sports Betting in Hungary
Sports betting is big in Hungary, and has been around for a long time. Parimutuel betting on horse races was available as early as the 1880s, when punters could buy tickets in tobacco shops and lottery offices. Today, under the Gambling Act of 1991, a state-sanctioned monopoly on all sports gambling in Hungary gives a company called Szerencsejáték exclusive rights in the sports betting industry until the year 2020.

The monopoly is strictly enforced, in spite of EU pressure to allow foreign and domestic companies the chance to compete in the lucrative industry of Hungarian sports betting.

Szerencsejáték runs 300 outlets across Hungary, but their products are actually available at over 3,600 points of sale throughout the country. They offer a wide variety of sports betting options, but also run the state lottery. Since 1998 they have made many of their games available online, and since 2002, Hungarians can place bets via SMS. This is the extent of legal Hungarian internet betting.

Online Sports Betting in Hungary
In 2004, Sportingbet, a UK-based sportsbook, was taken to court by the Hungarian government for offering a Hungarian-language version of their website. The case was settled, and the monopoly remains. While some international online bookmakers do not accept Hungarian players, there are stills many that do. The biggest problem is transferring funds – as of 2006, Hungarian banks are not allowed to process payments to or from internet gambling websites. Despite these obstacles, thousands of Hungarians continue to bet on sports at online sportsbooks.