Electronic Casinos Crap Out in Gambling Law Shuffle

The Hungarian Gambling Association (MSZSZ) is planning on turning to the Constitution Court after Parliament changed the law on gambling yesterday. While the folks who bring you such healthy good fun as Fruit Poker, Diamond Dreams and other slot-machine-style electronic games struck gold with a few of the modifications to the law, they feel cheated about several others. According to NAPI Online, the gaming parlor owners are happy that they can now get a permit for two years, and can operate machines of different categories in the same room, but are outraged by the big hike in gaming taxes in the new law. Meanwhile, lovers of more traditional forms of organized gambling may soon benefit from a range of new ways to get cleaned out.

According to MSZSZ Head Secretary Sándor Balatonfüredi, the new levies are likely to clean out many operators of electronic games throughout Hungary. Last year the tax on electronic games was Ft 55,000 (€220) per machine, a figure that was raised to Ft 75,000 from January 1st, and will now jump to Ft 100,000. But the gamblers' association says that the government is unlikely to collect on this bet, as the number of entrepreneurs operating gaming machines, and the number of punters plugging money into the machines, is already in decline.

They also object to the point of the law that forbids electronic gaming halls from calling themselves "casinos," a bit of bad luck for them that will no doubt be jackpot for some other avid gamblers.