Could a flawed justification derail Brussels’ €750 million casino concession?
The auditor of Belgium’s Council of State has recommended suspending the City of Brussels’ decision to award its next 15-year casino concession to Napoleon Games, after current operator Viage argued that the closely scored choice was insufficiently justified.
In 30 seconds
- The auditor recommended suspension on 21 August 2026, but the advice is not binding.
- The concession is planned for 15 years from 1 January 2027 and is valued by the City at €750 million excluding VAT.
- The City chose ECK NV, behind Napoleon Games, from six candidates; Viage placed second.
- The tender was subject to Belgian concessions law and publication in Belgium and the EU Official Journal.
The auditor of Belgium’s Council of State recommended on 21 August that judges suspend the ’ award of its next casino concession to ECK NV, the company behind Napoleon Games, after current operator Viage challenged the reasoning used to select its rival. The advice is not a judgment: the Council of State must still decide whether the municipal decision can stand while the dispute proceeds.
For people in , the case concerns much more than the name above a casino door. The concession covers a prominent entertainment complex on Boulevard Anspach, is intended to run from 1 January 2027 through 2041 and was valued by the City at €750 million excluding VAT over its full term. The official tender documents show that the procedure was advertised at both Belgian and EU level under Belgium’s 2016 concessions law, making equal treatment and transparent reasoning central requirements rather than administrative formalities.
BRUZZ reported, citing Le Soir and confirmation from a Viage spokesperson, that the auditor accepted three of the incumbent’s four arguments. The dispute reportedly turns partly on the assessment of the bidders’ “vision”, where Viage says the City relied on factually incorrect information—including a claim about the number of months the venue operates. Because Napoleon Games finished only narrowly ahead, Viage argues that defects in the scoring could have affected the result. The detailed auditor’s report was not publicly available in the sources reviewed, so its complete reasoning cannot yet be independently assessed.
The City selected ECK from six candidates in July. Napoleon Games, which already operates the casino in Knokke-Heist, has belonged to Romania-based Superbet since 2021. Viage, the Brussels operator since 2010, is linked to Austria’s Casinos Austria International. This international ownership gives the contest a cross-border business dimension, but its legal centre of gravity remains local: Brussels municipal authorities made the concession decision, while Belgium’s federal Gaming Commission remains responsible for the separate class-A casino licence.
The two sides frame the dispute differently. Viage presents itself as a locally rooted incumbent whose operating record was not assessed accurately; in its June candidacy announcement, it said the complex employed more than 300 people from over 40 nationalities and contributed about €27 million annually to the City. Those are company claims, not independently audited figures. The City, by contrast, described the original award as a way to continue developing an emblematic central-Brussels venue and strengthen the capital’s tourist, economic and events appeal. Napoleon Games had not publicly answered the auditor’s criticism in the authoritative reporting reviewed.
A separate political controversy has now raised the stakes. The Brussels Times, citing Belga and Belgian financial newspapers, reported on 26 August that Ecolo city councillor Benoit Hellings filed an ethics complaint against Mayor of the PS. Hellings alleges that Close should have withdrawn from the decision because Napoleon Games sponsors RSC Anderlecht, where the mayor is an independent director. Close denies any conflict of interest and has otherwise declined to comment; Anderlecht says it was neither involved nor consulted. The allegation is distinct from Viage’s legal challenge and has not been established as wrongdoing.
The broader lesson is institutional. A public authority may choose between competing commercial visions, but when the scores are close it must show clearly how the evidence produced the result. Brussels has encountered similar scrutiny before: in 2021, the Council of State annulled the City’s award of the concession after finding unequal treatment between bidders.
Where this is happening
View on map City of Brussels →The immediate question is whether the Council of State follows its auditor and suspends the casino award. Under the court’s procedure, parties may respond at the hearing before judges deliberate and issue a binding order. Suspension could force the City to reconsider or better justify its decision and could complicate the planned handover on 1 January 2027. Until the ruling appears, Viage remains the operator through the end of 2026 and Napoleon Games’ succession remains planned—but legally uncertain.
What to do
Casino customers and nearby businesses do not need to take immediate action: the auditor’s advice is non-binding, and the Council of State must issue its decision. Viage remains the current operator ahead of the proposed 1 January 2027 concession start. Casino employees and contractors should watch for the final ruling and any City announcement on whether the award, transition timetable or tender must be reconsidered. Taxpayers should also monitor whether expected city and regional revenues are delayed. The reported €750 million figure is the City’s estimated concession value excluding VAT, not a direct public payment or individual cost.
Impact
Regional — A suspension could disrupt the planned change of operator at the Boulevard Anspach complex, create uncertainty for staff and delay fiscal benefits that Brussels authorities expected from Napoleon Games moving business activities and online-gaming servers to the region.
EvidenceWell established · 2 primary sources + 1 official document + 2 independent reporting sources · Background sources: 2Explore evidence →Hide evidence ↑
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Voices & reactions
What the main actors are doing
Reported positions, summarised — not direct quotationsViage, the incumbent operator
Viage argues that the City’s decision was “insufficiently reasoned” and that factual mistakes affected its assessment, particularly under the vision criterion. Its position is that a narrow scoring difference cannot support a lawful award if the underlying evaluation contains material inaccuracies.
City of Brussels and the selected project
The City framed its selection as a choice intended to develop an emblematic city-centre venue and reinforce Brussels’ tourism, economy and events offer. That policy discretion remains relevant, but the Council of State must determine whether the City explained and applied its criteria lawfully.
Benoit Hellings versus Philippe Close
Ecolo councillor Benoit Hellings alleges that Mayor Philippe Close should have withdrawn because of Napoleon Games’ sponsorship of RSC Anderlecht, where Close is an independent director. Close denies any conflict, and Anderlecht says it was neither involved nor consulted in the concession dossier.
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How this story developed
3 reports on this subject — earliest first. You are reading the highlighted entry.
- Will the Council of State halt the Brussels casino handover?
- Could a flawed justification derail Brussels’ €750 million casino concession?· You are here
- Will the Council of State derail Brussels’ new casino concession?
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This story was assembled from verified evidence, with its sources and reasoning recorded as it was written.