Hungary regulator blocks major online gambling sites
Bwin.party, Ladbrokes and bet365 among those to be blocked by the Hungarian Gaming Supervision Department despite licence application process remaining unclear
The Hungarian Gaming Supervision Department has added a number of major operators including bwin.party and bet365 to its recently drawn up blacklist of online gambling sites as it prepares to launch new egaming regulations.
The two operators were added to the list of banned sites last week, joining a list of more than ten well-known European gambling brands including Ladbrokes, Betsson, Betclic and Unibet.
However, a spokesperson for one operator, which did not want to named, told eGaming Review that it was “surprised and disappointed that the blocking has been announced prior to the regulations being finalised and prior to operators who wish to apply for a license having the opportunity to do so”.
A spokesperson for Betclic Everest Group also confirmed its dot.com site had been blocked and told eGR the operator had “taken note of this situation”.
“We are in the same situation as Ladbrokes and bwin,” the spokesperson added.
According to the website of the Gaming Supervision Department, a division of Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration, the first site to be blocked was Betclic Everest subsidiary bet-at-home.com on 20 June.
The regulator said the operators were in violation of its 1991 Act XXXIV gambling regulation which states that all gambling companies offering games of chance require a licence from the Tax and Customs Administration to operate.
The blacklist currently consists of: bet365.com, ladbrokes.com, bwin.com, betsson.com, hu.unibet.com, hu.sportingbet.com, betlic.com, bet-at-home.com, hu.10bet.com, fortunawin.com and mayplay.com.