Hungarian government concession and regulatory reforms

The Hungarian government has initiated significant legislative and administrative reforms regarding the management of state concessions. In early October, Parliament passed law T/639, which stripped the Supervisory Authority for Regulated Activities (SZTFH) of its powers over gambling concessions and dissolved its Concessions Council. While the SZTFH maintained it previously provided “necessary prior consent” rather than direct granting power, the reform is part of a broader effort by the TISZA government to reorganize concession management.

Following these changes, the government expanded its review process to include various sectors, such as food industry and waste management, alongside the casino business. A specific focus has been placed on casino concessions involving István Garancsi and Árpád Habony, following previous regulations that allowed casinos to deduct concession fees from gambling taxes, a practice estimated to have cost the budget approximately 60 billion forints between 2014 and 2025. Oversight of these reviews is expected to transition to the leadership at the National Concession Office (NKOI).