Operator News

Germany – Spielbank Berlin celebrates its 45th birthday

By Phil - 1 October 2020

Spielbank Berlin is celebrating its 45th birthday.

The roulette ball rolled in the Spielbank Berlin for the first time, thrown by actress Loni Heuser, on October 1, 1975, marking the start of a long success story and a sustainable partnership between the casino and the city of Berlin. At that time, the casino opened its doors in the Europa Center in West Berlin. 23 years later it went to the heart of the reunited metropolis, Potsdamer Platz. The casino has resided there ever since and welcomes a total of more than half a million visitors a year to the location and the other branches at Alex, Ku’damm and Spandau. More than 500 employees take care of the guests and ensure an exciting gaming experience and so the Spielbank Berlin is a permanent attraction for visitors to the city as well as for locals.

“When Spielbank Berlin opened in the Europa-Center in 1975, the city was in no way comparable to today,” said Gerhard Wilhelm, spokesman for the management of Spielbank Berlin . “The city was still divided into east and west. Much has changed since then, but above all Berlin has developed into an international and united metropolis in these 45 years, which has a very special charm and attracts people from all over the world. We are pleased that we have been present in this special city with Spielbank Berlin for 45 years and that we have contributed to the attractiveness of Berlin for the people.”

One thing has remained the same over the years: the deep connection to the city of Berlin and especially to sport in the capital, because the partnership with Berlin sport was firmly rooted in the casino’s DNA from the very beginning . In 1975 it was the sports legend Gustav Jaenecke who founded the company. Jaenecke was and still is the most successful German ice hockey player. He won silver and bronze at world championships, was European champion and a total of 13 times German champion. In addition, Jaenecke was an outstanding tennis player and became German tennis champion in 1932. When he ended his career in 1951, Jaenecke remained loyal to the game, founded the Spielbank Berlin in 1975 and became its partner until his death in 1985.

Since then, Spielbank Berlin has been connected to sports in the capital and currently supports the Füchse Berlin, the BR Volleys, ALBA Berlin, the Eisbären, Hertha BSC, 1. FC Union Berlin, the International Stadium Festival (ISTAF), but also popular sports in Berlin. There are also numerous other cultural events such as the Classic Open Air, the Pyronale, the German Film Prize and the Federal Press Ball.

“Unfortunately, due to the Corona situation, it is currently not possible to celebrate our birthday in a big way,” said Gerhard Wilhelm. “However, we have prepared anniversary campaigns for our guests at our locations and we are sure that we will celebrate our anniversary appropriately even in these difficult times. I would like to thank all guests and well-wishers who celebrated this special occasion with us! For the future, even if the Spielbank Berlin is already one of the largest and most successful casinos in the country, we do not want to be satisfied with what we have achieved so far, even on our anniversary. We are constantly examining the possibilities of making Spielbank Berlin an even more attractive point of attraction and an important partner in our city. We look forward to the coming years.”

Caption: The Managing Directors of Spielbank Berlin: (from left to right) Marcel Langner, Gerhard Wilhelm and David Schnabel.