Center Parcs and Gamestate join forces – come up with surprising new location
•
3 Apr 2025 •
Reading time: 3 minutes Roel Veltmeijer, the entrepreneur behind Gamestate, is expanding his family-friendly arcade empire to Denmark with the opening of his fiftieth arcade at the new Center Parcs Nordborg Resort. This marks Gamestate’s first venture in Denmark, making it the eighth country the Veltmeijer Group operates in. The collaboration between Gamestate and Center Parcs, which began over 50 years ago, continues to thrive, offering arcades filled with family-friendly games like racing and dance games. Veltmeijer’s decision to move away from gambling and focus on family entertainment in 2016 has proven successful, with Gamestate arcades becoming integral to Center Parcs resorts. Looking ahead, Veltmeijer plans to expand further, with the exciting addition of online grappling machines, allowing players to win prizes from home. His journey is far from over, as he remains eager to surprise with new concepts and ventures.
Roel Veltmeijer, the top entrepreneur behind Gamestate, will open his fiftieth arcade in two months’ time. And this time he is settling down in Denmark, at the brand-new Center Parcs Nordborg Resort.
It will be Gamestate‘s first Danish branch. That makes Denmark the eighth country in which the Veltmeijer Group operates. The expansion is not just a step: it also means a new chapter in the cooperation between Veltmeijer and Center Parcs, which now goes back more than 50 years.
Veltmeijer continues to build on his dream of family entertainment
Roel Veltmeijer once started with a mix of slot machines and arcade games. But in 2016, he made a clear choice. Away with everything to do with gambling. Since then, it has been all about games that families can play together.
‘At the time, we got quite a lot of criticism for that,’ he tells Gambling Club, which previously interviewed him. ‘But now you see what it brings. Our halls have become indispensable at Center Parcs.’
The new park in Denmark will be no exception. Visitors there will soon be able to enjoy grappling machines, racing games, dance games and everything else that makes Gamestate so popular.
Cooperation with Center Parcs remains solid
The cooperation with Center Parcs started small, but grew steadily. Gamestate’s arcades are now a regular feature in the holiday parks. According to Veltmeijer, his formula fits perfectly with the experience Center Parcs wants to offer: relaxation, fun and something for the whole family.
To him, opening in Denmark feels like a logical step. ‘We are super proud to be part of the launch of this new park. It feels like coming home to a new place.’
Gamestate also goes online with grappling machines from your living room
Meanwhile, as if that wasn’t enough, Gamestate is working on something new: online grappling machines. Players will then be able to operate the same machines from home as at the fairground or arcade. If they win, the prizes will even be delivered to their homes.
The idea may sound crazy, but insiders say it will be a hit. ‘People want to experience that fairground feeling at home too,’ says an employee. ‘And we make that possible.’
Denmark is just the beginning
Roel Veltmeijer is far from thinking of stopping. He has plans to expand further. New countries, new concepts, and maybe even surprises no one has thought of yet.
‘I am far from finished,’ he says with a smile. ‘We have only just started.’