Hungary Joins Online Casino Industry10 May 2007
The news sections are filled with articles about governments and their relationship with the local and international online casino industries. We have all read about governments trying to ban online casino gambling and about the opposite approach with governments that try to regulate the industry. However, Hungary is taken a completely different stand and is not trying to join the online casino industry. Gabor Szekely, the CEO of Hungary's state gambling company, announced that his firm will expand to the internet and will offer online gambling for Hungary's citizens.
The implementation could take as long as 18 months and upon completion make the state of Hungary a part of the online casino industry with country-ran services offered on the internet. It seems that the Hungarian government has materialized the known saying – if you can't beat them, join them. The internet offers many ways to improves one's quality of life, and if gambling is legal and the state is operating a gambling company – why shouldn't people use the net to gamble at company-ran online casino sites?
The state's gambling company is offering land based gambling services and following the European Commission's request to open the sports betting market in Hungary to competition, the government decided to step up. While opening the market will allow foreign online casino firms to offer online casino services to Hungarian citizens, Hungary itself will operate in the market and try to keep online gambling local. Citizens will be able to play at the state's gambling company's site and the money will remain inside the country.
| 
Home
