Will the Council of State derail Brussels’ new casino concession?
A Council of State auditor has recommended suspending the City of Brussels’ decision to award its casino concession to Napoleon Games, accepting several objections raised by incumbent operator Viage about how the bids were assessed.
The dispute could disrupt the casino’s planned change of operator in January 2027 and affect more than 300 current Viage employees, suppliers and activity around the central pedestrian zone. More broadly, it tests whether a municipality can clearly substantiate a finely balanced decision involving a concession valued at hundreds of millions of euros.
A auditor has recommended suspending the ’ award of a 15-year casino concession to ECK, the company behind , after incumbent operator challenged the municipality’s evaluation. The recommendation, reported on 21 August by Le Soir and corroborated by BX1 and BRUZZ, is not itself a judgment: the administrative court must still determine whether the award may proceed.
The distinction matters for residents, employees and businesses in central . was due to take over the casino on Boulevard Anspach on 1 January 2027, while ’s current concession expires at the end of 2026. Any suspension would leave the City needing to reconsider its decision, defend a revised procedure or make arrangements to preserve continuity while the dispute continues.
This is also a substantial public contract. In the procurement documents approved by the municipal council in January, the City estimated the concession’s value at €750 million excluding VAT over 15 years. That figure represents the estimated value of the operating activity, not a payment directly entering the municipal treasury. Because it far exceeds the applicable European-publication threshold of €5.404 million, the City placed the procedure under ’s 2016 concessions law and advertised it through both the Belgian procurement bulletin and the EU’s Official Journal.
Six candidates submitted offers. The City selected , part of the Romanian-owned Superbet group and already operator of the casino in Knokke-Heist. , a subsidiary of Austria-based Casinos Austria International, finished narrowly behind and sought an urgent suspension, arguing that the City had not adequately justified its scoring.
According to BRUZZ, which said confirmed the proceedings, the auditor accepted three of the company’s four pleas. One disputed element concerned the assessment of the bidders’ “vision”: Viage said the City relied on factual errors, including an assertion concerning the number of months its venue was open, and that those errors helped secure a narrow points advantage. The full auditor’s report was not publicly available through the ’s searchable decisions when this article was prepared, so the exact reasoning should be treated as reported rather than independently reconstructed.
’s position is that equal treatment in a close competition required accurate facts and a sufficiently explicit explanation of the scoring. The City’s earlier institutional position, reflected in its award, was that submitted the strongest offer under the published criteria, including qualitative and financial commitments. Napoleon Games has not publicly answered the auditor’s criticisms. The City has likewise not issued a detailed public rebuttal to the reported findings.
A separate political controversy has since sharpened scrutiny. Ecolo councillor Benoit Hellings filed a complaint under the City’s ethics code, arguing that PS mayor should not have chaired the 17 July executive meeting that awarded the concession. Close is an independent director of RSC Anderlecht, whose commercial partners include Napoleon Sports. BRUZZ and The Times report that Close denies any conflict of interest but has otherwise declined to comment; also declined comment, while Anderlecht said it was neither involved nor consulted. The auditor’s reported analysis did not address that allegation, and no finding of misconduct has been made.
The case illustrates why must be described precisely. This is a decision by the , one of the capital region’s 19 municipalities—not an act of the or the EU institutions headquartered nearby. Its European dimension comes from procurement law and cross-border bidders: a Belgian municipality assessed companies connected to Romanian and Austrian groups under a concession procedure advertised EU-wide.
The immediate question is whether the follows the auditor and orders a suspension. A suspension would not automatically hand the concession to or finally annul the award; it would freeze the contested decision while the City determines its legal and procurement response. Until the judgment and the municipal secretary’s separate ethics review are available, the planned January handover remains uncertain.
Impact
Regional — Napoleon Games had committed to moving its headquarters and online-gaming servers into the Brussels-Capital Region, a step expected to shift gambling-tax revenue toward Brussels. A suspended or revised award could delay or prevent that move, although no official estimate of the additional regional revenue has been published.
Local — The immediate effects are concentrated in central Brussels, particularly around the city-centre pedestrian zone where casino customers, employees and suppliers generate activity. More than 300 current Viage employees could face uncertainty if the operator changes or the transition is delayed. Napoleon Games had also committed to moving its headquarters and online-gaming servers into the Brussels-Capital Region. Suspension or revision of the award could postpone that move and the associated shift in gambling-tax revenue, for which no official estimate has been published.
What it means for you
Casino customers face no stated immediate change while the Council of State judges consider the case. Viage employees and suppliers should watch for the binding judgment and any City of Brussels decision to confirm, revise or rerun the award. The key operational date is 1 January 2027, when Napoleon Games is scheduled to take over under the new concession. Job arrangements, supplier contracts and the operator transition may remain uncertain until the legal process is resolved. The auditor’s recommendation alone does not suspend the concession or establish misconduct by Mayor Philippe Close.
Opposing perspectives
- Viage, the incumbent operator
Viage argues that the City did not adequately justify a very close scoring decision and relied on factual inaccuracies when evaluating its offer. Its legal framing is one of equal treatment and transparent public procurement: small scoring errors may be decisive when the gap between first and second place is narrow.
- City of Brussels and selected bidder
The City’s award embodies its institutional assessment that Napoleon Games made the strongest offer under the stated qualitative and financial criteria. Neither the City nor Napoleon Games has published a detailed answer to the auditor’s reported objections, leaving their full legal defence unclear.
- Ecolo councillor Benoit Hellings
Hellings says Mayor Philippe Close’s role at Anderlecht, a club sponsored by Napoleon Sports, created a potential conflict requiring disclosure and recusal under the municipal ethics code. His complaint concerns governance and appearances of impartiality rather than the scoring arguments reportedly examined by the auditor.
- Mayor Philippe Close and Anderlecht
Close denies that a conflict of interest existed, although he has declined a fuller public comment. Anderlecht says it was neither involved nor consulted in the casino file. No competent authority has found misconduct, and the municipal secretary must still examine Hellings’ complaint.
Who, where and what
Key people, places and terms in this story
Mayor of Brussels named in a separate ethics complaint that has produced no finding of misconduct.
City where the casino operates and where the concession’s employment and commercial effects are concentrated.
Region to which Napoleon Games committed to moving its headquarters and online-gaming servers.
Country whose federal law separately governs gambling licences.
Municipal authority that awarded the casino concession to Napoleon Games.
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Mayor of Brussels named in a separate ethics complaint that has produced no finding of misconduct.
City where the casino operates and where the concession’s employment and commercial effects are concentrated.
Region to which Napoleon Games committed to moving its headquarters and online-gaming servers.
Country whose federal law separately governs gambling licences.
The contested 15-year municipal operating concession estimated at €750 million excluding VAT.
Municipal authority that awarded the casino concession to Napoleon Games.
Belgium’s administrative court reviewing the legality of the City of Brussels’ concession award.
First-ranked bidder selected for the new casino concession beginning in 2027.
Incumbent casino operator and narrowly second-ranked bidder challenging the assessment.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceBX1Primarycorroborating· bx1.be· 21 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 42 days ago· Dated
- View sourceBRUZZ — Council of State auditor reportcorroborating· bruzz.be· 21 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 42 days ago· Dated
- View sourceCity of Brussels — municipal council agenda supplementofficial· bruxelles.be· 19 January 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 256 days ago· Dated
- View sourceBRUZZ — ethics complaint against Philippe Closecorroborating· bruzz.be· 26 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 37 days ago· Dated
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This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.