Brussels city council again awards casino concession to Napoleon Games

A second award after a court suspension

The Brussels city council on Thursday, 5 November 2026, again chose Napoleon Games to run the Casino de Bruxelles for the next fifteen years. The concession is valued at an estimated 750 million euros, and the contract goes to SA ECK, the company that operates the Napoleon Games brand. Napoleon Games already runs the casino in Knokke.

The council had first awarded the same contract on 17 July 2026. Viage, the current operator, finished second in that first round, and its owner Casino Austria took the matter to the Council of State. On 31 August the court suspended the award, pointing to errors in the council's reasoning and to failures to meet the European obligations that bind the contracting authority. The council says it has now carried out a new analysis of the bids, in line with the legal framework and taking into account the court's ruling.

An interim extension for the current operator

In late October 2026, the city and Viage agreed to extend the existing concession by six months, until 30 June 2027 inclusive. The arrangement keeps the casino running and protects the jobs of its 286 workers while the dispute continues. The extension means the city must give up nearly 3 million euros in revenue. The new concession was originally due to start on 1 January 2027, but it is now due to begin on 1 July 2027. About 10 million euros a year is due to flow back to the city under the contract, and the city cannot yet confirm that the file will be closed once the extension ends in June 2027.

The operator's response

Philippe Joos, 39, has led Napoleon Games for three years. He told La Libre that the company had been ready to take over the casino on 1 January. He said the company would not contest the extension, and he argued that Brussels, as the capital of Belgium and a seat of Europe, deserves events and facilities suited to that status. He put his position this way:

“If this extension is in the interest of the workers and gives them security, we fully support it.”

Napoleon Games employs 300 people in Belgium and operates 18 gaming rooms alongside the Knokke casino, and it claims more than 40 years of experience. Joos concedes that online play now brings in more of the company's revenue than its physical venues, but he gave no figure. He argues that guests who travel to a casino want more than gambling, pointing to hospitality, dining, events and shows at Knokke. The company says it has backing from Marc Coucke and his events firm Witte Paard, along with a letter of intent from Gary Kasparov.