András Kármán, Hungary’s Finance Minister, has appointed Zoltán Sólyom as the new Chief Executive of state-owned gambling group Szerencsejáték Zrt.
The appointment is yet to be confirmed by the government gazette but was announced via Kármán’s Facebook page on 27 October.
Szerencsejáték Zrt has been without a leader since Kármán fired former CEO Zoltán Guller in July. Kármán’s actions were later followed by an axing of the board in August as he called for a “reset of the company”.
The leadership changes form part of the TISZA government’s ongoing review of the management of Hungarian state assets and institutions, taken across gambling, energy and public utilities.
Announcing Sólyom’s appointment, Kármán published a scathing attack on the company’s previous management, alleging that Szerencsejáték had been financially mismanaged and used as a funding vehicle by former PM Viktor Orban and the Fidesz government.
“Szerencsejáték Zrt., one of Hungary’s largest companies and its exclusive gambling operator, became a cash dispenser for the NER — the “System of National Cooperation”.
Billions of forints of taxpayers’ money were distributed through the company without transparency or justification, and on political grounds, to businesses close to Fidesz.”
As a wholly state-owned company, Kármán said Szerencsejáték must answer to Hungarian taxpayers for its spending.
The FM had already reshaped its board in July, removing Krisztina Rédey, Szabolcs Imre Ágostházy, Gábor Bordás and Zsófia Illés-Puka. Another director, Marianna Gabriella Poltné Palásthy, resigned.
Marcell Olajos was appointed chairman, while Zoltán Horváth joined the board, with the changes effective from 15 July.
Sólyom holds no experience in gambling or Hungarian politics. He founded corporate insurance consultancy and brokerage Palladium Consulting in 1997, following a career at Generali that included senior management responsibilities.
Since August, he has also served on the supervisory boards of Szerencsejáték and Corvinus International Investment, according to Kármán’s announcement. The minister said this had allowed him to develop a deeper understanding of the gambling operator before taking executive responsibility.
“Today marks the end of the era of secrecy and abuse at Szerencsejáték Zrt,” said Kármán said.
“I have appointed Zoltán Sólyom as CEO because, during the selection process, he convinced me that he would be a capable leader and a responsible steward of the company.
“I expect the company to become a modern, efficient business that operates, above all, in the interests of Hungarian taxpayers.”
Fidesz rejects allegations
The criticism has drawn a response from former Prime Minister Orbán’s office, which defended Szerencsejáték’s management and funding practices.
In a statement reported on 28 October, Orbán’s office maintained that the company had operated lawfully and transparently, and that its funding policy had been guided by transparent decisions.
Orbán stated that Kármán could not prove any of their allegations made against Szerencsejáték’s management and its funding for Hungarian charitable causes, arts and heritage programmes.
TISZA holds fate of Gambling Supervisor
The dispute comes alongside changes to Hungary’s regulatory framework.
Parliament has approved legislation removing concession-related responsibilities from the Supervisory Authority for Regulated Activities (SZTFH) and dismantling its Concessions Council.
In its own corrective statement, SZTFH dated the final parliamentary vote as 22 September. It stressed that its role concerned prior consent to concession arrangements, rather than directly awarding concessions — a responsibility held by designated government ministers.
The changes sit alongside a broader government examination of the authority’s future and the allocation of its responsibilities. They should therefore be distinguished from a decision to abolish gambling regulation or open the market to additional operators.
For now, the announcements reviewed offer no clear commitment from the TISZA government to further liberalising online gambling. The government’s stated priority is tighter governance and greater accountability.
Whether it also wants more competition remains an open question.