Brussels Casino: millions under threat 

The suspension of the award of the Brussels Casino licence marks the start of a period of uncertainty for the City and the Region. Behind the legal dispute lie significant financial stakes. 

A €75,000 gap that is attracting attention 

According to Benoît Hellings, an Ecolo city councillor, the financial bid submitted by ECK, the company operating the Napoleon Games brand, is reported to have amounted to €10.075 million per year for the Brussels Casino concession. 

Viage, the current operator, is reported to have offered €10 million per year. 

The difference between the two bids is therefore said to be just 75,000 euros a year – a relatively small difference given the sums involved. 

This information does not appear in the Council of State’s ruling cited by La Libre. The office of Mayor Philippe Close, when questioned by the newspaper, declined to either confirm or deny it. 

The Council of State suspends the City’s decision 

The City of Brussels had selected ECK to operate the casino for the next fifteen years. However, this decision was suspended by the Council of State following an appeal lodged by Viage, which was ranked second during the tender evaluation process. 

Viage’s current contract is due to expire on 31 December 2026, whilst the new concession was due to begin on 1 January 2027. 

The City must now find a solution that is sufficiently sound from a legal perspective to ensure the continuity of operations. Any interruption could have direct consequences for its finances. 

According to Benoît Hellings, Viage currently pays around 4.7 million euros a year to the City of Brussels. The new contract was set to increase this revenue significantly, as the proposals under discussion amount to around 10 million euros a year. 

‘If there is no longer a casino operator, there will be no operator paying concession fees,’ warns Benoît Hellings. 

Up to €15 million in annual revenue at stake 

The stakes go beyond the amount paid directly to the City. The combination of revenue from the concession and tax receipts could amount to as much as €15 million a year for the relevant public authorities. 

The Brussels Region does, in fact, collect taxes on gambling activities. The potential relocation to Brussels of certain online gambling-related infrastructure could therefore have an impact on regional revenue. 

It is precisely this link between the award procedure and the Region’s fiscal interests that has prompted Brussels MEP Zakia Khattabi to seek clarification. She wants to know to what extent the regional authorities were aware of the criteria used to select between the candidates and whether they had assessed the financial implications of certain commitments proposed by Napoleon Games. 

‘We need to know whether the Brussels government was aware of this, whether it had assessed the effects, and whether any discussions took place,’ explains the MP. 

One of Napoleon Games’ commitments was to relocate the operator’s headquarters, as well as the computer servers used for its online gaming activities, to the Brussels Region. This could have strengthened the company’s economic roots in Brussels and potentially generated additional tax revenue for the Region. 

However, the Council of State considered that this criterion was unrelated to the very purpose of the concession and that it could not have been anticipated by the other bidders when they prepared their tenders. The concession primarily concerned the operation of a physical casino in the centre of Brussels. 

According to Benoît Hellings, the bidders should therefore have been assessed on the criteria set out in the tender specifications. 

‘Relocating servers linked to online gambling to Brussels is a different activity,’ he essentially emphasises. 

The City put forward a different interpretation. According to the information set out in the Council of State’s judgement, it presented this transfer as a factor relating to local roots rather than as a new criterion imposed on bidders. 

A timeline that Benoît Hellings wishes to examine 

Another aspect of the case concerns the precise timing of the submission of the various bids. Given the reported difference of just 75,000 euros between Napoleon Games and Viage, Benoît Hellings wishes to know the exact chronology of the bids. 

The available evidence does not allow us to establish that any bidder benefited from inside information regarding a competitor’s bid. The issue is nevertheless politically sensitive, as the contract involves considerable sums of money. 

Three scenarios to break the deadlock 

The City of Brussels must now decide how to proceed. 

One possibility would be to withdraw its initial decision and adopt a new one based on the same procedure, with a different or more detailed justification. However, this course of action could prompt a fresh appeal by Viage if Napoleon Games were to be selected again. 

A second option would be to reassess the various bids. Here too, no scenario can completely rule out further legal challenges. 

The third option would be far more cumbersome: starting the whole process from scratch. The City would then have to draw up a new set of specifications, obtain the necessary approvals, launch a new tender process and evaluate new bids. According to Benoît Hellings, this process could take over a year. 

Viage could become indispensable 

If no new concession can come into force on 1 January 2027, the City may have to negotiate a temporary extension with Viage to prevent the casino from closing. This situation would potentially place the current operator in a favourable negotiating position. 

Benoît Hellings believes that the City has made itself dependent on Viage by allowing the process to drag on until so close to the contract’s expiry date. 

What is certain is that the City must now avoid two risks: interrupting the casino’s operations or rushing into an agreement that is less financially advantageous. 

The issue is not solely about public revenue. The Brussels Casino employs nearly 300 people. A suspension of operations would therefore also have social implications. 

A key question: who will operate the casino in 2027? 

With just a few months to go before the deadline, the problem is becoming very real. Who will operate the Brussels Casino from 1 January 2027? 

Napoleon Games had been awarded the concession, but the decision has been put on hold. Viage remains the operator until 31 December 2026, but does not automatically have a contract beyond that date. The City must therefore resolve a legal, financial and operational dilemma within a limited timeframe.