Viage says no to extending the casino’s licence  

The countdown is accelerating for the Brussels Casino. Viage has now ruled out continuing to operate the casino beyond 31 December 2026 under its current licence. Whilst the award of the next licence to ECK, the company behind Napoleon Games, has been suspended by the Council of State, this uncertainty poses a direct threat to 286 jobs.  

1 January 2027 is becoming a critical deadline  

In Brussels, the question is no longer simply about who will operate the casino for the next fifteen years. It must now be determined whether it will be possible to avoid a disruption to operations when the current licence expires on 31 December 2026.  

Viage, which has operated the Brussels Casino since 2010, has made its position clear. In a letter addressed to the City of Brussels and the Brussels government, the company states that it does not wish to continue operating the establishment beyond that date under the current licence.  

However, the possibility of a temporary extension was one of the options that could have given the authorities more time. The City is said to have asked Viage on two occasions to consider this solution. The operator has refused.  

Why is Viage refusing an extension?  

In Viage’s view, extending the current concession by a few months would not resolve the issue at the root of the deadlock. The operator believes that the problem highlighted by the Council of State relates primarily to the conditions under which bids for the new concession were assessed.  

According to the company, an extension would therefore not rectify the problems relating to this assessment.  

Viage also regards this solution as legally tenuous and costly. It could, according to the operator, lead to further legal challenges from the other bidders without providing any real clarity for employees.  

Award to ECK suspended by the Council of State  

To understand this situation, we must look back at the decision taken on 17 July 2026. The City of Brussels’ College had then awarded ECK NV the concession to operate the casino for the next fifteen years. This company is the parent company of Napoleon Games.  

Viage had come second to ECK in the evaluation of the bids and had challenged the decision before the Council of State. On 31 August, the administrative court suspended the award. In particular, the Council of State criticised the way in which certain factors had been taken into account in the evaluation, even though they were not clearly listed amongst the criteria set out in the tender specifications.  

However, this suspension does not mean that the concession automatically goes to Viage. The City must decide how to proceed with the matter. Several options remain on the table: upholding the decision in favour of ECK with a new justification, re-examining the various bids, or restarting the concession procedure.  

Viage wants a new assessment of the bids  

Rather than an extension of its current concession, Viage is calling for the process to be restarted at the stage where the issues identified by the Council of State arose. The operator wants the City to withdraw its decision of 17 July awarding the concession to ECK and to carry out a fresh analysis of all the bids.  

Viage is calling for an assessment which it describes as needing to be ‘objective, transparent and non-discriminatory’, followed by a reasoned decision in accordance with the criteria set out in the tender specifications. Above all, according to the company, this solution would avoid having to restart the entire procedure.  

Viage believes that an entirely new procedure could take many months, or even more than a year. Under these circumstances, it would appear particularly difficult to have a new operator up and running by 1 January 2027.  

The re-evaluation of existing bids is also supported by several trade union representatives, who see it as a way of making faster progress.  

286 employees are now awaiting a response  

Around 286 jobs are at stake regarding the future of the Brussels Casino.  

On 15 September, a group of employees gathered outside Brucity, the City of Brussels’ administrative centre. Their aim was to secure guarantees and a swift decision regarding the venue’s future.  

A trade union delegation met with Mayor Philippe Close and Nawal Ben Hamou, the alderwoman responsible, amongst other things, for the Land Agency.  

The terms of reference include provisions regarding the future operator taking on the staff. However, a direct handover between Viage and the next concessionaire appears much simpler to organise than a transition interrupted by a closure.  

Should there be a gap between the cessation of Viage’s operations and the arrival of the new operator, the guarantees surrounding the transfer of staff could become more difficult to implement. A temporary closure could also result in a period of unemployment for the employees concerned.  

Viage goes further in its warning. The company states that the failure to reach a decision quickly enough could force it to consider collective redundancy proceedings.  

Viage puts the financial risk at 15 million euros  

Viage estimates that the lack of a solution to ensure business continuity as of 1 January could cost it around 15 million euros. According to the operator, this estimate includes, in particular, the financial consequences of ceasing operations, staff-related costs and various contractual obligations. The casino also works with several hundred suppliers. Some contracts will need to be renewed or terminated depending on what happens after 31 December.  

The Brussels Casino occupies approximately 14,000 square metres in the Anspach Gallery. AG Real Estate, which holds the property rights to these premises, has asked Viage to prepare for their handover upon expiry of the concession.  

A potential change of operator therefore involves several procedures that must be coordinated. In particular, the terms of occupancy of the premises must be settled, certain contracts dealt with, any transfer of assets and data organised, staff informed, and the future operator enabled to obtain the necessary authorisations.  

A closure would also affect public finances  

A suspension of operations would deprive the City of Brussels of the concession fees and certain property revenues. For its part, the Brussels Region would lose the tax revenue generated by the casino’s gaming activities.  

Viage estimates that the loss of revenue for the public authorities could amount to several million euros a month in the event of a closure.  

6 October: the next expected milestone  

The trade unions are awaiting further responses from the City by 6 October 2026. For its part, Viage is pushing for a reassessment of the bids rather than an extension or a complete restart of the process.  

At the other end of the timeline lies a date that cannot be postponed by administrative procedures alone: 31 December 2026, the day on which the current concession expires.