Operator News

Germany – Gauselmann calls for other states to outline their reopening plans

Germany’s Gauselmann Group has welcomed the reopening of its slot venues in North Rhine-Westphalia but has called for other German states to follow suit.

Saarland was the first federal state to allow the venues to reopen, having been closed since mid-March.

Gauselmann Founder Paul Gauselmann said: “The reopening of the venues in NRW is very good news for the Gauselmann Group, its many thousands of employees and especially for player and consumer protection. In recent weeks, we have seen a massive and thus questionable migration of players to online casinos that were previously illegal. To make matters worse, we’ve seen increased advertising activities of these illegal offers on television and on the Internet. With the state- licensed gaming halls, legal offers with effective youth and player protection are now available again.”

For weeks, the Gauselmann Group has been preparing intensively for the end of the lockdown and the reopening of its Merkur venues. In this context, the company has developed holistic hygiene concepts that offer guests and employees maximum. In terms of infection prevention, venues have the decisive advantage that the legal provisions of the gaming ordinance for normal operation with the prescribed minimum distance between the devices and the maximum number of 12 devices on more than 150 square meters already correspond to the principle of social distancing.

Mr. Gauselmann appealed to all federal states that have not yet given specific dates for the reopening of the venues to do so quickly.
“We need options for reopening in a timely manner, because only with a legal range of games can we counteract the migration of players to illegal, online, foreign casinos.”