A bingo salon will open at Budapest's Árkád mall (District XIV) before the end of this year, reports Napi.hu (subscriber only). The operator of the salon, to be connected to a restaurant, will be a Hungarian private company, while state gambling monopoly Szerencsejáték Zrt will also be involved. Bingo has not been popular in Hungary until recently.

Szerencsejáték CEO Gábor Székely confirmed his company's involvement in the operation and promotion of the bingo salon. It will not, however, invest capital into the enterprise, as it does not wish to get involved in the food business. Székely also would not name the company which is undertaking the risks associated with the salon. He thinks there are opportunities for the salon, despite the fact that the last Hungarian bingo salons closed years ago.