Brussels has opened a competitive tender for the concession to operate Belgium’s largest casino, with bidders given until May 22 to submit applications. The concession, valued at €750m over 15 years, was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on March 26 and will run until December 31, 2041.
Incumbent Frontrunner but Competition Is Real
The 14,000 m² Casino de Bruxelles, located on Boulevard Anspach in the heart of the Belgian capital, has been operated since 2010 by Viage, a subsidiary of Casinos Austria International. Viage’s current concession was extended by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and now expires on December 31, 2026.
Having invested nearly €80m across two locations over its tenure, Viage is considered the frontrunner to retain the concession. Its parent, Casinos Austria, operates 12 gaming establishments in Austria. Casinos Austria International, a separate subsidiary, runs five properties across Australia, Switzerland, Serbia, and Belgium.
Competition is emerging. Belgian company Gaming1, a subsidiary of the Ardent group, has confirmed interest in the licence as part of its expansion strategy. Other unnamed operators are also reportedly considering bids for an establishment that attracts approximately 310,000 visits per year and employs 270 people.
Selection will be based on the quality of the offer and the financial contributions proposed by bidders. The specifications include a minimum fee of €337.42 per square meter of gaming space and a requirement for at least 30 traditional gaming tables. Applications go to the city’s land management agency.
Tax Exposure and the A+ Licence Question
The casino is profitable, with that status dating to 2019. Its 400 slot machines are subject to a 50% GGR tax, while its 37 traditional gaming tables are currently exempt. The new Brussels government has signalled its intention to increase gaming revenue by €20m annually, indicating the tax position for the next concessionaire will be tighter than the current one.
At the end of fiscal year 2023, Viage generated GGR of €52.45m, representing 37.5% of total offline GGR across all nine Belgian casinos. That concentration in a single venue underlines the financial stakes attached to the concession, set against the backdrop of a European GGR market valued at €123.4bn in 2024.
One structural complication for bidders involves the A+ licence. Viage does not currently operate online gaming. In Belgium, an A+ licence, which permits the operation of both a physical casino and an online equivalent, can only be issued to operators running a land-based casino. The A+ licence linked to the Casino de Bruxelles is currently held by Betano Casino. In Belgian law, this licence is granted to a specific operator and does not transfer automatically with a change of concessionaire. A new operator taking over the physical casino would need to pursue a fresh A+ application from the Gaming Commission, or negotiate a new arrangement entirely.
That question is relevant given the growing strategic importance of online in the overall profitability of land-based casino operators. Any incoming operator would need to factor in the timeline and uncertainty of securing online rights alongside the physical concession.
Belgian Framework
Belgium permits a maximum of nine A licences for casino operation simultaneously, each with a standard 15-year duration. The Brussels concession process follows the law of June 17, 2016 on concession contracts, supplemented by a Royal Decree of June 25, 2017, due to the €750m value exceeding the European publication threshold of €5.404m. Alderman Delphine Houba’s cabinet oversees the dossier on behalf of the City of Brussels.
The outcome will determine who controls the single largest concentration of land-based casino revenue in Belgium for the next 15 years. For Casinos Austria International, retention is also a matter of continental portfolio coherence. Its home market is simultaneously navigating its own regulatory transition, with Austrian gambling law changes advancing ahead of a 2027 licence expiration. The pressure on major land-based operators to secure and renew concessions across regulated European markets continues to intensify.
Source: G3 Newswire
