Legal wrangle continues over keys to the building in Berck-sur-Mer
Groupe Partouche has been forced away from its casino operations in Berck-sur-Mer casino in the French region of Pas-de-Calais following a legal wrangle over who owns the building in which it is housed.
SAS Jean Metz, a subsidiary of the Partouche group, has been embroiled in a legal battle with the administrative court of Lille and The Société du Grand Casino de Dinant, which initiated the cancellations of three concession notices.
On December 19, the court ordered the Partouche group must hand over the keys of the casino to the city of Berck by January 1 at the latest, under penalty of a fine of €500 per day of delay. The Council of State issued a ruling this summer acknowledging the return of the casino building to the heritage of the city of Berck.
At the start of the year, the mayor of Berck-sur-Mer, Bruno Cousein, called on the police to recover the keys to the casino, which, according to the Council of State, has been owned by the municipality since January 1. The prefect of Pas-de-Calais refused, though, to deploy the police. A new operator Infiniti plans to invest €8m in the venue.
The mayor said: “The situation must not drag on, the employees are paid but there will be damage. Infiniti will turn against the city if we don’t open the doors to them, and it’s up to us to open it, and we don’t have the keys.”
The Partouche group, who opened the casino in Berck in 1991 and, in 1998, moved it into the old train station, said: “Our subsidiary operating the Berck-sur-Mer casino has withdrawn its application to continue running the casino after 1st January 2026, due to the Berck-sur-Mer mayor’s request to reclaim the building hosting the casino, which belongs to Groupe Partouche SA, based on a broad interpretation of the theory of reversionary property rights developed by the French Council of State. Groupe Partouche has petitioned the civil court, the guardian of private property, to enforce its rights as a third party to the casino concession agreement
Partouche has also announced that in spring of 2026, following extensive renovations, its Parisian Gaming Club will relocate into the iconic building on Avenue de La Grande Armée, which will also house its headquarters. It will benefit from a strategic location and a playing area of over 3,300 m² (compared with 300 m² currently in rue de Berri).
The Group said it was constantly striving for an excellent customer experience at its establishments, and said it would continue to enhance its offerings and renovate its casino portfolio to improve its performance, including:
The renovation of the casinos in Saint Amand-les-Eaux and Forges-les-Eaux should also begin at the start of the 2026/2027 financial year.
Partouche’s Vichy casino is undergoing a complete renovation aimed at expanding gaming areas and modernising and enhancing the services offered by this iconic establishment. Completion is scheduled for the end of May 2026.
There is also a comprehensive redevelopment program taking place at the Casino Partouche Cannes 50 Croisette. This program encompasses the entire customer journey, from the entrance to the gaming rooms, with an upgrade of services. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed before the Cannes Film Festival at the end of May 2026, and all works by the end of June 2026.
Other Partouche casino renovations are continuing throughout 2026, notably for the casinos in Cabourg, Calais, La Ciotat, and the Parisian Gaming Club.
Partouche made the announcements as it delivered sustained growth in its annual turnover for 2025.
Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) increased by 5.1 per cent to €748.3m in 2025, compared to €712.3m in 2024. This growth was driven by increases in slot machines GGR, which were up 3.6 per cent and table gaming GGR, which was up 9.6 per cent. On a like-for-like basis, excluding the acquisition of Casino Partouche Cannes 50 Croisette on in February 2025, and the opening of the Cotonou casino in Benin in January 2025, GGR would have increased by three per cent to €734.1m.
The operator said: “Groupe Partouche has restored its liabilities and reduced them by €12.2m as of October 31 2025, thereby positively impacting its EBITDA and Current Operating Income. Personnel expenses remained broadly stable at € 182.6 M, notably due to the elimination of the social liabilities, up €12.2m. Neutralising this positive impact, they increased by €11.3m following the integration of the teams from the Partouche Cannes 50 Croisette Casino, up € 3.8m and the Cotonou Casino, up €0.3m, the ramp-up of casinos that have completed major renovations (Divonne, La Tour-de-Salvagny, and Annemasse, for a total of +€2.9m), additional staff required for poker tournaments, up €0.5m.”
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Legal wrangle continues over keys to the building in Berck-sur-Mer Groupe Partouche has been forced away from its casino operations in Berck-sur-Mer casino in the French region of Pas-de-Calais following a legal wrangle over who owns the building in which it is housed. SAS Jean Metz, a subsidiary of the Partouche group, has been embroiled…
The post Partouche walks away from casino operations in Berck-sur-Mer casino appeared first on G3 Newswire.