The future of Grand Casino Brussels was thrown into uncertainty on August 25, 2026, after Belgium’s Auditor General recommended suspending the €750 million concession awarded by the City of Brussels to ECK NV, the company linked to Napoleon Games, following a legal challenge by incumbent operator VIAGE.
The concession covers a 15-year operating period from January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2041. Napoleon won the tender in July with 91 points out of 100, compared with 87 points for VIAGE. The dispute focuses on the criterion covering the “future vision of the site”, where Napoleon received 30 points and VIAGE 20, a ten-point gap VIAGE argues was insufficiently justified.
The Auditor General’s opinion is not yet a final ruling. The Belgian Council of State must decide in the coming weeks whether the award should be suspended, maintained or partially reconsidered. A suspension would complicate the scheduled exit of VIAGE on December 31, 2026 and Napoleon’s planned takeover the following day.
Erwin van Lambaart
The casino, located on Boulevard Anspach in central Brussels, covers roughly 14,300–14,500 square metres and attracts more than 310,000 casino visitors a year. VIAGE says the wider complex has received almost 5 million visitors since opening and employs hundreds of people. VIAGE has operated the property since 2010 through entities linked to Casinos Austria International. The current group leadership includes Erwin van Lambaart, CEO of Casinos Austria, while VIAGE has been publicly associated with executive Per Jaldung.
Per Jaldung
Napoleon Games is led by Philippe Joos and has belonged since 2021 to the group now branded Super Technologies, founded by Sacha Dragic. The acquisition of Napoleon was valued at roughly €350–400 million. Napoleon’s Brussels plan also includes moving its headquarters and online gaming servers from Knokke-Heist to the capital, increasing the project’s fiscal and technological weight.
The tender, file RF/22/CONCES/899, is governed by Belgium’s June 17, 2016 Concessions Act, the June 25, 2017 Royal Decree, and the broader gambling framework established by the May 7, 1999 Gambling Act. The City of Brussels is headed by Mayor Philippe Close, while Belgium’s gambling regulator remains chaired by Magali Clavie.
