With its Decree No. 183/2017 (July 5), the Hungarian Government established the Gambling Supervisory Authority (“GSA”), a new authority for supervising gambling activities and services in Hungary.

I. Background of the reorganization

Prior to the establishment of the GSA, the competent department of the Hungarian Tax and Customs Administration (“Administration”) executed the supervisory powers. Now, this department has been separated from the Administration and the GSA undertook the role of supervising gambling activities. The GSA falls under the control of the Minister for National Development and performs its tasks with national competence. The reorganization was underpinned by the facts that the proper surveillance of the industry sector in question and the required increase in staff necessitated the establishment of a separate administrative body.

II. Focuses of the Administration

In 2016, the gambling department of the Administration issued approx. 160 authorizations, performed more than 13,000 inspections and rendered 445 decisions imposing fines amounting to HUF 1,700,000,000 (approx. EUR 5,555,555). The most concerned area was the administrative supervision of the online gambling sector (i.e. provision of online – distance – gambling services without proper license). The gambling operators mainly contested the condemning administrative decisions of the gambling authority and in the previous year, 60 from the 80 court decisions were made in favour of the Tax Administration. It is also highlighted however that 170 litigations concerning the judicial review of administrative decisions regarding online gambling services are still pending. The practice of supervision of the online gambling sector in Hungary was also reviewed by the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”), which confirmed in its judgement dated June 22, 2017 ( delivered in case C-49/16 Unibet International Ltd versus Hungarian Tax and Customs Administration) that the Hungarian regulation on online gambling services infringed Article 56 TFEU (freedom of services). The ECJ declared that even if the regulation itself theoretically provides for the possibility that any service provider is eligible for acquiring authorization for providing online gambling services, in the absence of transparency and specific technical rules for implementation and/or application thereof, the regulation shall still qualify as an unlawful restriction of the freedom of services. As regards pending litigations, the newly established Authority will take over the place of the Administration and now it is up to the competent courts how they interpret the statements of the ECJ as mentioned above with respect to the condemning administrative decisions.

III. New rules concerning operator responsibility and joint player account

Government Decree No. 294/2017 (October 10) further consolidates the protection of minors from the harmful effects of gambling and clarifies the responsibilities of gambling operators regarding player self-restraint measures. Ministerial Decree No. 30/2017 (October 10) introduces new rules regarding the joint player account, which creates the possibility of accounting various types of betting, prizes and other gaming transactions under one account, which concerns several types of games organized by a sole operator. Ministerial Decree No. 34/2017 (October 26) imposes further anti-money laundering obligations on certain gambling operators (e.g. casino, cardroom, online casino operators), such as internal risk assessment, customer identification, due diligence and requirements of audited electronic means of communication.

The organizers are excited to announce that the Official Networking Party will be sponsored by iGamingRadio and they have picked one of the hippest location in Budapest.

The Networking Party is scheduled for 19 September at 21:00 and the venue will only be disclosed to attending delegates. All you need to know is that the venue is right in the Center of Budapest, it’s colorful and is the best place for you to catch up with friends and peers from the industry.

“First of all we are really happy that we are witnessing such a large growth in 2017 at CEEGC Budapest and secondly we are excited to further help increase the presence of our newly launched product (iGaming Radio) in front of the attending delegates. Budapest has many interesting venues for networking, however we are always looking for that vibes and energy which has been felt at our earlier networking parties in Vienna and Prague. Thus, we invite all delegates to take part in this special session which we’ve designed to help unwind after the first day of conference. The drinks are on us, so be sure to stop by, everyone else will be there!“, said Zoltan “Hawkie” Tundik, Founder and Head of Business at EEGMedia.

CEEGC2017 is set to surpass all seminary type events organized by the team, with a 25% growth and a larger speaker lineup during the 2 days of the conference. Mentionable is the fact that the event is organized at one of the most prestigious venues in Budapest, the Kempinski Corvinus Budapest.

More about the sponsor of the Networking Party:

iGaming Radio is the first online radio which is streaming gaming related news exclusively thorough daily shows

The aim of the station is to keep its audience connected 24/7 with the online gaming industry by playing awesome music and serving the news first hand. Your days in the office will never be the same again!                                       TUNE IN TO iGAMING RADIO NOW!

www.igamingradio.com

How to secure your seat?

The tickets can be booked at the Advance rate of 358.80 EUR until the 14th of September, 2017. Limited seating (Online payment, Bitcoin or Bank Wire Available)

Register here: https://ceegc.eu/registration/

For more details visit the official website, www.ceegc.eu or contact the organizers directly by email ([email protected]) or by phone (0040 735 559 234).

The organizers are honored to announce Iforium as the Gold Sponsor of the 2nd edition of the Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference, which will be held at the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest between 19-20 September.

Founded in 2006, Iforium are a leading eGaming software development company focused on providing the next generation of flexible gaming solutions. Our multi-award winning platform can be rapidly deployed across the online gaming industry in the emerging and regulated markets. Iforium are proven to bring dedicated focus and partnership to operators in Central and Eastern European jurisdictions.

Gameflex™ is our innovative casino aggregation and seamless bonusing platform. It combines over 5,000+ online and mobile casino games from over 50+ content providers. All content within Gameflex works seamlessly with our innovative common bonus and player loyalty engines. Gameflex can be integrated rapidly and seamlessly via API into any 3rd party platform, front-end and wallet.

Iforium are licensed and regulated by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission and ONJN in Romania.

Phil Parry, CEO at Iforium, commented: “Iforium were one of the launch supporters of EEG so it’s natural we have chosen to support them further by becoming Gold Sponsors at CEEGC 2017. Our sponsorship and presence at CEEGC provides us with the opportunity to connect with operators, regulators and suppliers at an event dedicated to the region. Iforium is well established across Central and Eastern Europe and I view CEEGC as a key event in the industry calendar that will help us expand our footprint. I am looking forward to supporting the event in Budapest.”

Visit www.iforium.com for further information or contact us at [email protected].

Make sure you attend the event and grab the vital information shared during the 2 days of educational panels and networking.

How to secure your seat?

The tickets can be booked at the Advance rate of 358.80 EUR until the 14th of September, 2017. Limited seating (Online payment, Bitcoin or Bank Wire Available)

Register here: https://ceegc.eu/registration/

For more details visit the official website, www.ceegc.eu or contact the organizers directly by email ([email protected]) or by phone (0040 735 559 234).