Existing operator Casinos Austria International is keen to hold onto its Viage operation
The city of Brussels has just put its casino concession up for auction. The new concession was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on Thursday, March 26.
The 14,000 m² establishment, located in the heart of the Belgian capital, has been operated since 2010 by Viage, a subsidiary of Casinos Austria International. Besides the current operator, who is seeking re-election, the reopening of the country’s largest casino has generated considerable interest.
While Belgian concessions typically last 15 years, Viage’s concession has been exceptionally extended by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and therefore expires on December 31. Having invested nearly €80m across two separate locations, as the casino was previously housed in the Salle de la Madeleine, the incumbent operator is the frontrunner to retain its concession. Casinos Austria, the parent company of Viage, operates 12 gaming establishments in Austria and Casino Austria International, a subsidiary, runs five units in Australia, Switzerland, Serbia and the Belgian capital, where the financial value of the concession reaches €750m.
In addition to the Austrian company, Journal des Casinos says Belgian company Gaming1, a subsidiary of the Ardent group, has an interest in the licence as part of its next phase of expansion. Other operators are reportedly showing strong interest in the establishment and are seriously considering submitting bids to manage the casino, which records approximately 310,000 visits per year and employs 270 people. Profitable since 2019, it is also a significant contributor to tax revenue. It pays a regional tax of 50 per cent of gross gaming revenue (GGR) from each of its 400 slot machines, while the 37 traditional gaming tables are exempt. This tax rate is expected to increase, as the new Brussels government plans to boost its gaming revenue by €20m annually.
Viage Casino does not currently offer any online gaming. In Belgium, this requires an A+ license, which can only be issued to operators running a physical casino.
Candidates have until May 22 to submit their applications to the city’s land management agency for this concession, which will run until December 31, 2041. The operator will be selected based on the ‘quality of the offer and the financial contributions promised by the bidders.’ The specifications, for example, stipulate a minimum fee of €337.42 per square meter dedicated to gaming, for at least 30 traditional gaming tables.
At the end of the 2023 fiscal year, the Viage casino generated a gross gaming revenue (GGR) of €52.45m, equating to 37.5 per cent of the total offline GGR generated by all nine Belgian casinos.
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Existing operator Casinos Austria International is keen to hold onto its Viage operation The city of Brussels has just put its casino concession up for auction. The new concession was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on Thursday, March 26. The 14,000 m² establishment, located in the heart of the Belgian capital,…
The post Brussels casino licence put out to tender with May 22 deadline appeared first on G3 Newswire.