Napoleon Games wins the Brussels casino concession
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24 Jul 2026 •
Reading time: 4 minutes
For fifteen years, the casino on Boulevard Anspach was operated by Viage. That period is now drawing to a close. On 18 July 2026, the City of Brussels officially awarded the new licence to ECK NV, the company that operates the Napoleon Games brand. This decision marks the start of a new fifteen-year cycle for Belgium’s most popular casino.
A strategic contract for the City of Brussels
In the spring of 2026, the City of Brussels launched a call for tenders for the casino on Boulevard Anspach, in the heart of Brussels’ pedestrianised area. Whilst the casino licence is issued by the Belgian State and the Gaming Commission, day-to-day operations are governed by an agreement with the local authority hosting the establishment. It was therefore up to the City of Brussels to select the future operator.
The Land Management and Economic Affairs departments have estimated the revenue at 750 million euros excluding VAT over the entire duration of the concession, which will run until 31 December 2041. Given the scale of this sum, the procedure had to comply with the European rules applicable to concession contracts. The tender specifications required, in particular, a minimum of thirty traditional gaming tables, as well as a fee indexed to the floor space dedicated to gaming.
According to the City of Brussels, the final decision was based on the quality of the bids submitted and the financial contributions proposed by the candidates.
Napoleon Games prevails over five competitors
In total, six bids were examined as part of this procedure.
The successful bid was submitted by ECK NV, the company that operates the Napoleon Games brand.
Among the other bidders was Golden Palace. Its managing director, Massimo Menegalli, had publicly announced his bid by presenting a project estimated at 30 million euros, aimed at transforming the casino into a true entertainment hub combining gaming, culture, gastronomy and tourism.
Other players are also said to have taken part in the competition, including the Liège-based Ardent Group – the parent company of Circus and Gaming1 – Star Casino, and Infiniti, the operating arm of DRGT.
Behind Napoleon Games: a group that has gone global
Although Napoleon Games is now well established in Belgium, its history stretches back several decades.
The legal entity ECK NV has existed since 29 November 1983 and was long associated with the Flemish entrepreneur Willy Michiels, nicknamed the ‘King of Bingo’, who died in June 2020.
Based in Erembodegem, near Aalst, the company changed hands in September 2021 when it was acquired by the Superbet group from Waterland Private Equity.
Founded in 2008 by Sacha Dragic, Superbet also benefits from the support of major investors. Notably, Blackstone acquired a stake in the company in 2019 with an investment of 175 million euros. In February 2025, the group then carried out a refinancing of 1.3 billion euros before being renamed Super Technologies in December 2025.
Today, the group claims to have a presence in Romania, Poland, Serbia, Brazil and Belgium.
A takeover that will not take effect until 2027
The award of the licence does not, however, mean an immediate takeover. According to the planned timetable, Napoleon Games is due to officially take over the running of the casino on 1 January 2027.
For the City of Brussels, this new licence should enable the continued development of a venue described as a driving force behind tourism, the economy and events in the city centre.
The end of Viage’s long-standing presence
This decision marks the end of an important chapter in the history of the Brussels casino.
For the past fifteen years, Viage has been operating the establishment on Boulevard Anspach. In 2023, according to figures from the Belgian Gaming Commission, the operator generated gross gaming revenue of €52.45 million, representing 37.48 per cent of the Belgian casino market. These results made Viage the kingdom’s leading casino in terms of turnover.
Appeals remain possible
Belgian legislation stipulates that concessions are subject to the same appeal procedures as public procurement contracts. Unsuccessful bidders therefore have a fifteen-day waiting period to lodge an application for suspension with the Council of State, followed by sixty days to file an appeal for annulment. Given that the contract is estimated to be worth 750 million euros, the stakes are particularly high.
A turning point for Belgium’s leading casino
With this award, Brussels is definitively turning the page on a chapter that began fifteen years earlier with Viage.
By choosing Napoleon Games, the Belgian capital is entrusting the operation of its busiest casino to an operator already firmly established in the national market for a further fifteen years. Although the actual handover will not take place until early 2027, the future of the Brussels casino is now set, subject to any legal proceedings that may still be brought.