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.
The case affects a major city-centre venue, a concession estimated at €750 million over 15 years, hundreds of workers and future municipal and regional revenues. It also tests whether Brussels applied Belgian and EU-derived transparency and equal-treatment standards correctly in a high-value cross-border competition.
The auditor of ’s Council of State recommended on 21 August that judges suspend the ’ award of its next casino concession to , the company behind , after current operator 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 , 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 ’s 2016 concessions law, making equal treatment and transparent reasoning central requirements rather than administrative formalities.
reported, citing Le Soir and confirmation from a 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 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. , which already operates the casino in Knokke-Heist, has belonged to Romania-based Superbet since 2021. , the 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 ’s federal Gaming Commission remains responsible for the separate class-A casino licence.
The two sides frame the dispute differently. 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- venue and strengthen the capital’s tourist, economic and events appeal. had not publicly answered the auditor’s criticism in the authoritative reporting reviewed.
A separate political controversy has now raised the stakes. The 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 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 ’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. 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.
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, remains the operator through the end of 2026 and ’ succession remains planned—but legally uncertain.
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.
Local — The dispute is anchored at the Grand Casino Brussels complex on Boulevard Anspach in central Brussels. A suspension could delay or interrupt the planned operator change on 1 January 2027, prolong uncertainty for hundreds of workers and postpone expected municipal and regional revenues. It could also delay Napoleon Games’ proposed transfer of business activities and online-gaming servers to the Brussels region. Existing operations do not automatically change merely because the auditor recommended suspension; the Council of State must still rule.
International — The concession was advertised in Belgium and through the EU Official Journal, opening the high-value competition to the wider European market. The legal challenge therefore tests the application of transparency and equal-treatment requirements associated with Belgian concessions law and EU-derived procurement principles. A suspension would primarily affect a Brussels municipal award, not create an EU-level ruling, but the case may interest public authorities and cross-border bidders involved in comparable Belgian concession procedures.
What it means for you
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.
Opposing perspectives
- Viage, 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.
Who, where and what
Key people, places and terms in this story
Mayor of the City of Brussels named in a disputed ethics allegation that has not been established as wrongdoing.
City and region where the disputed casino concession and its economic effects are centred.
Country whose concessions and administrative-law framework governs the dispute.
Municipal authority that organised and awarded the casino operating concession.
Central Brussels location of the casino complex affected by the planned operator change.
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Mayor of the City of Brussels named in a disputed ethics allegation that has not been established as wrongdoing.
City and region where the disputed casino concession and its economic effects are centred.
Country whose concessions and administrative-law framework governs the dispute.
Central Brussels location of the casino complex affected by the planned operator change.
Brussels venue involved in an earlier Council of State concession case cited as local precedent.
Legal framework governing the municipal competition.
Municipal authority that organised and awarded the casino operating concession.
Administrative court asked by Viage to suspend the municipal award.
Casino operation covered by the disputed 15-year municipal concession.
Company selected by the City of Brussels to receive the new concession.
Gaming operator associated with winning bidder ECK NV.
Incumbent casino operator and second-ranked candidate challenging the award.
Federal authority responsible for the separate casino licence.
European publication channel through which the concession notice was advertised.
Brussels news outlet reporting the auditor’s recommendation and concession background.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceBRUZZPrimaryprimary· bruzz.be· 21 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 42 days ago· Dated
- View sourceBX1corroborating· bx1.be· 21 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 42 days ago· Dated
- View sourceCity of Brussels municipal council agendaofficial· brussel.be· 19 January 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 256 days ago· Dated
- View sourceBelgian Council of State — suspension hearing procedureofficial· raadvanstate.beRetrieved 26 August 2026
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This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.