Brussels Casino Licence Award To Napoleon Games Suspended By Court
Belgium's highest administrative court has suspended the award of a 15-year Brussels casino concession to Napoleon Games, throwing the venue's future into doubt just months before the licence was due to change hands.
The Council of State ruled in favour of Viage, the casino's current operator since 2010, which challenged the City of Brussels' decision to award the contract to Napoleon Games (operated by ECK NV, part of Romanian betting group Superbet).
The Council of State identified several shortcomings in how the City of Brussels ran the tender, ruling that "not all elements of the tender specifications had been adequately taken into account" and that some factors the city did weigh "do not appear to be relevant to the subject matter of the concession."
The court also found that the process failed to comply with the EU's Foreign Subsidies Regulation, which requires additional scrutiny of concessions worth more than 250 million euros to determine whether foreign financial support has distorted the bidding.
The Brussels concession, valued at roughly €750 million over its 15-year term, easily exceeds that threshold.
Close Contest And A Conflict-Of-Interest Complaint
Viage finished a close second among five bidders in the original selection process.
Separately, Brussels city councillor Benoit Hellingson has filed a formal complaint alleging a potential conflict of interest involving Brussels mayor Philippe Close, who sits on the board of Anderlecht football club, one of Napoleon Games' key sponsorship partners, and did not recuse himself from the meeting where the award was approved.
The City of Brussels now has to decide how to respond.
It can restart the award process from scratch, a route that would take several months and run past the current licence's December 31, 2026, expiry; it can try to confirm Napoleon Games as the winning bidder by strengthening its legal reasoning; or it can reassess the bids already submitted.
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"The City takes note of the Council of State's ruling," a spokesperson for Mayor Close said. "We are carefully examining the judgment to determine what next steps we need to take. At this stage, it's still too early to comment further."
Brussels alderman for the economy, Didier Wauters, said the college of aldermen would meet to discuss whether a temporary extension of Viage's current licence might be needed to keep the casino open without interruption.
