TLDR Hungary has removed concession powers from its gambling regulator, the SZTFH, under a law that took effect on October 1, 2026. The law also scraps the authority’s Concession Council and ends the need for its prior consent on concession deals. The SZTFH must hand all concession files to the minister responsible for state assets within 30 days. The government questioned the regulator’s independence and says it plans to abolish the authority in the future. The SZTFH disputed the bill’s claims and said it carried out more than 23,000 inspections between 2021 and 2025.
Hungary has removed concession powers from its gambling regulator, the Supervisory Authority for Regulated Activities (SZTFH). The new law took effect on October 1, 2026.
The law also scraps the authority’s Concession Council. The regulator’s president now has 30 days to transfer its concession files to the government.
The government submitted bill T/639 on September 8, 2026. The bill changes several laws linked to concessions.
Parliament handled the bill under an urgent procedure. Lawmakers passed it in a final vote on September 22.
The law was published in the Magyar Közlöny, Hungary’s official gazette, on September 30 as Act LIX of 2026. It ends the SZTFH’s tasks and powers tied to concessions.
Why the Government Made the Change
The SZTFH was set up in 2021 under the previous government. Its work covers gambling, the tobacco market, mining, the Hungarian Chamber of Judicial Officers and the register of liquidators. It also checks activities covered by concession contracts.
The government questioned the authority’s independence. It noted that the regulator was supposed to report only to Parliament.
“The independence of the SZTFH is called into question by the fact that a former administrative state secretary of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office was appointed to head it,