Operator News
Belgium – Waterland to replace Middelkerke Casino with glass wave gaming complex in 2019
By Phil - 10 May 2017
Private equity firm Waterland Private Equity will take over the operation of Belgium’s Middelkerke Casino licence on the Belgian coast, through its Belgian subsidiary Napoleon Games, in September.
The UK’s Rank Group was the previous holder of the Middelkerke casino licence, which is located on the coast of the North Sea in the province of West Flanders. Waterland, based in the Netherlands, has been granted a 15-year licence. It said it would close the existing casino on the seafront and develop a futuristic, arched casino complex., stretching 20 meters high into the air to form a glass wave in the central Epernay Square. It will cost €30m. Under the arch will be housed an event square of 1,200 square meters for all seasons. At the foot of the arch there is a multipurpose room of 650 square meters and space for commercial uses. The hotel will have three floors with 60 rooms.
Mayor Janna Rommel-Opstaele said: “We are extremely satisfied. This can only benefit our citizens, businesses and tourists. After a long legal battle, this is a relief. I would like to emphasize that the construction of this new casino to Middelkerke will not cost the taxpayer anything. It will certainly be unique.”
During the two year construction of the arch, the casino will be relocated to a temporary venue. Napoleon Games has two of the nine Belgian A licences, having already bought the nearby Knokke Casino.
Napoleon Games also operates 22 gaming arcades, of which most are located in Flanders. It also owns street operator JvH in the Netherlands.
Napoleon Games is one of the Belgian market leaders in gaming and sports betting. The group is primarily known for its succesful online platform (napoleongames.be), and is among others sponsoring AA Gent, the reigning champion in Belgian football, as well as the professional cycling team Sunweb-Napoleon Games. Over the last few years, the group has grown rapidly and completed its product offering through significant investments in the online platform. In February 2016, the company opened Live Casino studio in partnership with Evolution Gaming in Aalst, featuring Blackjack tables, one Roulette table and an Immersive Lite Roulette table.
CEO Tom De Clercq: “Over the last years, we have grown significantly in the online market where we compete with large international players. We were able to leverage our knowledge and expertise in the offline market to quickly become the Belgian market leader in online gaming. Our current online Live Casino service from Evolution’s Belgian studio is extremely popular, but we also wanted to offer our players a more bespoke offering, aligned with our strong brand.”
Mieke Michiels, co-shareholder of Napoleon Games, added: “The acquisition of the Knokke casino in 2013 completed our product offering. We have made significant investments over the past years to offer our customers a truly revolutionary experience.”
