Merkur Casino International Gmbh
1957: Founded as a sole proprietorship by Paul Gauselmann in the name of Elisabeth Gauselmann
1958: Gebrüder Gauselmann GbR with brother Willi Gauselmann
1962: Gebrüder Gauselmann GmbH with the brothers Paul, Willi and Eugen Gauselmann
- Merkur Casino International Gmbh Ltd
- Merkur Casino International Gmbh Inc
- Merkur Casino International Gmbh Pvt Ltd
- Merkur Casino International Gmbh Corp
Merkur Gaming is the international sales and development brand of adp Gauselmann GmbH, Merkur Gaming is part of the world famous German-based Gauselmann Group. The Gauselmann Group currently employs more than 12,500 people in more than 40 countries worldwide and in 2017 generated a business volume exceeding EUR 2.9 billion. Alejandro Casanova has been appointed new COO of Merkur Casino International in Spain. The subsidiary of the familyrun Gauselmann Group from Espelkamp in Eastern Westphalia operates around 400 arcades in European countries outside Germany and is continuously expanding its involvement in Spain.
The corporate beginnings of Gebrüder Gauselmann GmbH go back tothe sole proprietorship founded by Paul Gauselmann in 1957 in thename of his first wife, Elisabeth Gauselmann. The company was seenright from the beginning as a competent partner for the professionaloperation of amusement machines with and without stakes and prizesin the food and drinks segment. A second company set up in Oelde in1967 specialised in operations in the food and drinks segment underthe management of Eugen Gauselmann, whilst brother Willi was incharge in Espelkamp. Development, retail and production were thesole responsibility of Paul Gauselmann from the 1960s.
1970: Foundation
Gauselmann Großhandel as the sales organisation within adp GauselmannGmbH is the partner of choice in the field of electronic entertainment.Sales are generated throughout Germany via a nationwidenetwork of currently 11 subsidiaries as well as online shops that areaccessible via the adp Internet portal.
1972: Foundation
Research, development, production and sales of games with andfor small amounts of money, as well as amusement and gamingmachines with or without cash prize opportunities, are all united atadp Gauselmann GmbH. adp Gauselmann GmbH was the first companyin the German coin-op machine industry to receive the ISO 9001certification by TÜV Rheinland in 2002. Thus, the company has beendeveloping and manufacturing in compliance with internationallyrecognised quality standards for more than ten years. The companywas also certified within the scope of its environmental managementin accordance with the DIN EN ISO 14001:2004 standard in 2013 andwith the BS OHSAS 18001 standard in 2014, which attest to optimumoccupational health and safety management.
1974: Foundation as CASINO MERKUR-SPIELOTHEK GmbH
2018: Company name changed to MERKUR Casino GmbH
In the arcade segment, MERKUR Casino GmbH is theundisputed market leader in Germany with 300 entertainmentcentres. A stylish atmosphere, innovative products, optimal servicealongside optimally trained staff make MERKUR Casino stand out clearly from the competition and combine to deliver afirst-rate and modern leisure-time activity. Over 750 gaming arcadesoperate according to this recipe for success Europe-wide.
1980: Founded as Zentralverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH
1990: Company name changed to Gauselmann AG
Gauselmann AG came into being in 1990 following the change of thecompany name from Zentralverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH that wasfounded in 1980. As the holding company, it unites many of the companieswithin the Gauselmann Group.
1984: Acquisition from Baden-Automaten Derigs GmbH
Schneider Automaten GmbH, based in Cologne, predominantly sellsproducts manufactured by the Gauselmann Group through its nineestablishments. However, the distributor’s portfolio also includesproducts of other well-known manufacturers. The company WalbererAutomaten founded in 1987 was taken over by Schneider Automatenin 2010.
1985: Foundation of Stella International Spielgeräte GmbH
2003: Foundation of MEXIM GmbH & Co. KG
2005: Merger to form Merkur Gaming GmbH
2015: Integration into adp Gauselmann GmbH
The Gauselmann Group has been active in international markets sinceas far back as 1985, firstly as Stella International Spielgeräte GmbHand, from 2003 onwards, through MEXIM GmbH & Co. KG. The companieswere merged in 2005 as part of the realignment of the internationalbusiness activities to form Merkur Gaming GmbH, which sincethen has been responsible for the development and sales of gamingmachines and casino slot machines, as well as video lottery terminals(VLT) and server-based gaming (SBG) systems for the internationalmarkets. The company was organisationally integrated into adpGauselmann GmbH only in 2015. The Merkur Gaming brand name hasbeen retained and constitutes a successful export department withinadp Gauselmann GmbH.
1986: Foundation
Merkur Freizeit Leasing GmbH, as the financial services provider of theGauselmann Group, offers its customers rent, lease and licence modelsthat are optimally adapted to the changing market conditions andthus represent a fair alternative to conventional investment loans. Inaddition to this, Merkur Freizeit Leasing GmbH also includes insurancefor machines in its product portfolio.
1986: First international arcade location is opened
2006: Foundation of Merkur Casino GmbH
2011: Company name changed to Merkur International GmbH
2014: Company name changed to CASINO MERKUR International GmbH
2018: Company name changed to MERKUR Casino International GmbH
The Gauselmann Group opened its first international entertainmentcentre in 1986 in the Netherlands. Merkur Casino GmbH was foundedin 2006 in order to further promote arcade expansion outside of Germany.The company name was changed to MERKUR Casino International GmbH in 2018, which in the meantime operates well in excess of 300 modern entertainment centres in eight European countries.
1987: Founded with son Peter, a graduate IT specialist
As an IT service provider, BEIT GmbH supports and implements all IT systems within the Gauselmann Group. The portfolio covers the complete life cycle of an IT application, from project planning and implementation to system operation.
Since 1988: Cooperation
MEGA Spielgeräte GmbH is a highly regarded specialist in developingjackpot systems, multigame lines and games with additional stakes.Manufacturing of the products developed in Limburg is carried outexclusively and in accordance with ISO 9001 standards at the adpGauselmann GmbH plant in Lübbecke.
1991: Foundation
Merkur Immobilien und Beteiligungs GmbH plans, builds and administers real estate for the entire Gauselmann Group. This includesproduction, logistics, service and event areas, shops and flats as wellas the exclusive training centre Schloss Benkhausen with museum and hotel. The subsidiary company managed a total of 130 real estateprojects with an acquisition value in excess of 250 million euros in the 2016 business year.
1993: Foundation
GeWeTe Geldwechsel- und Sicherheitstechnik GmbH specialises in thedevelopment and production of money-changing machines and paystations. By virtue of its innovative products the company has been arecognised market leader in the arcade segment for many years.
2000: Foundation
adp Merkur Service, as the service provider of the Gauselmann Group, offers its customers a diverse choice of services. Alongside maintenance and support of coin-op AWPs, an extensive range of accessoriesas well as numerous workshops and seminars are offered.
1885: Foundation
2001: Acquisition
HESS Cash Systems GmbH from Magstadt is a leading specialist for money-processing system solutions with a wealth of experience gathered from entrepreneurial activities spanning 130 years. This traditional company develops, produces and sells hardware and software solutions for cash-handling and payment systems for banks, local authorities, public amenities and retail companies.
2002: Cooperation
2017: Integration into adp Gauselmann GmbH
adp Gauselmann GmbH develops money gaming machines for the German market at its Euskirchen location under the Kaiser Spiele brand and concentrates primarily on hybrid machines that combine mechanical rollers with a digital display. The equipment is manufactured exclusively at the adp Gauselmann GmbH plant in Lübbecke in accordance with ISO 9001 standards.
1996: Foundation
2005: Shareholding
2014: Full acquisition
Cashpoint Agentur & IT-Service GmbH has been active in the sports betting market since 1996. The Gauselmann Group acquired a controlling share of the Austrian company in 2005 and completely integrated it into the corporate group in 2014. Alongside licensed Internet platforms, Cashpoint operates more than 5,000 betting outlets internationally in the form of betting shops, kiosk systems and self-service terminals under the brand names Cashpoint, XTiP and Betcenter.
2006: Foundation
Merkur Interactive GmbH, founded in 2006, is responsible withinthe Gauselmann Group for developing new business segments. This currently encompasses the segments online gaming and financial services.
1998: Foundation
2008: Acquisition
edict eGaming GmbH is the specialist for online gaming platforms within the Gauselmann Group and focuses on the development and technical operation of online casino solutions and system platforms forthe gaming sector as well as marketing games on a global basis. The Hamburg-based company is a subsidiary of Merkur Interactive GmbH and has been a part of the Gauselmann Group since 2008.
2001: Foundation
2008: Shareholding
2012: Full acquisition
In 2008, the Gauselmann Group purchased a 50 per cent controlling share in Blueprint Gaming, a multiplatform developer for digital games. Since 2012, the group has been the sole shareholder of Blueprint Gaming with locations in the UK and USA.
2010: Foundation of Merkur Gaming Espania S.L.
2012: Expansion of business operations with the acquisition of Dosniha Gaming S.L.
2015: Company name changed to Merkur Dosniha S.L.
The Spanish company Merkur Dosniha S.L. is responsible for the sale of multigamers in Spain for the Gauselmann Group. As well as its headquarters in Mallorca, the company has two branch offices in Murcia and Madrid as well as two logistics centres in Murcia and Barcelona. The company also has its own development capacities: Merkur Dosniha S.L. adapts the Merkur games to the requirements of the Spanish market and the preferences of players there.
2007: Foundation
2012: Acquisition
The British arcade chain Praesepe has been part of the Gauselmann Group since 2012 and since then has grown as a result of additional acquisitions. With a transaction volume of around 150 million euros, these takeovers are considered the largest acquisition in the history of the corporate group. The Praesepe Group owns 183 entertainment centres and bingo clubs, which now also increasingly offer games from the Gauselmann think tank.
2012: Foundation
Merkur Gaming India PVT Ltd. was founded in 2012 as a subsidiary of adp Gauselmann GmbH and has since been responsible for programming and mathematics of various games. In addition to traditional slotmachine games, Merkur Gaming India PVT Ltd. also develops mobile applications such as apps, and ports slots to online platforms. There search and development centre focuses on games-related IT and software development. Merkur Gaming India Pvt Ltd. collaborates closely with the Indian subsidiary, Lucky Nugget Gaming Pvt. Ltd.
2013: Acquisition
The Indian game design studio Lucky Nugget Gaming Pvt. Ltd. has been part of the Gauselmann Group since 2013. The research and development centre is principally responsible for game design –from developing new ideas, via audiovisual implementation, to the finished game. Lucky Nugget Gaming Pvt. Ltd. works hand in hand with the parent, Merkur Gaming India Pvt. Ltd.
1998: Foundation of Sceptre Leisure PLC
2013: Shareholding
2015: Acquisition
2015: Company name changed to Regal Gaming and Leisure
(AWP) machines from the UK. The company plays a predominant role particularly in the UK food and drinks sector. The Gauselmann Group invested in a shareholding in Regal Gaming and Leisure in 2013 andthen acquired the business in 2015 to increase its market presence yet further in the UK market and successfully place its own products in the most sought-after pub segment.
2013: Foundation as Merkur Spielbanken Sachsen-Anhalt GmbH & Co. KG
2016: Shareholding in Spielbank Berlin as co-partner
2016: Foundation of Merkur Casino Ltd. (CASINO MERKUR MARE brand)
The Gauselmann Group has been active in the casino segment since 2013. In December 2014, Merkur Spielbanken Sachsen-Anhalt GmbH & Co. KG and its partner Stadtcasino Baden AG from Switzerland were granted the licence to operate public casinos in Saxony-Anhalt and today operate three proprietary casinos in Leuna, Magdeburg and Halle (Saale). Furthermore, since 2016, the Gauselmann Group has been a co-partner in Spielbank Berlin. This was followed in 2019 by shares in Spielbank Mainz GmbH & Co. KG and its general partner, Spielbank Mainz Beteiligungs GmbH.
2016: Foundation Merkur Casino Ltd. (Brand CASINO MERKUR MARE)
CASINO MERKUR MARE is part of the Gauselmann Group’s gaming operations, and has been running casinos on cruise ships operated by the Spanish company Pullmantur Cruceros since late 2016. The Gauselmann Group has also established a partnership with TUI Cruises. A CASINO MERKUR MARE opened on the new TUI Cruises ship ‘Mein Schiff 1’ in 2018, followed in January 2019 by the second CASINO MERKUR MARE on the new ‘Mein Schiff 2’ in the TUI Cruises fleet.
2008: Foundation
2014: Full Acquisition
The Gauselmann Group acquired another British gaming software company through the acquisition of Betcom Limited in 2014. Betcom Limited has made a name for itself in the fields of game development and game design and markets diverse games for reel-based machines and multigamers.
2014: Shareholding
Acquisition of a majority shareholding in the payment services company Euro Payment Group GmbH (EPG) in 2014 paved the way to the Gauselmann Group’s entry into the financial services business segment. EPG, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, is active worldwide in the fields of online payment, mobile payment and gateway services.
2015: Foundation
Merkur Casino International Gmbh Ltd
Merkur Interactive Services GmbH (MIS) consolidates online gaming business for the merkurmagic.es, cashino.com and merkur-win.it brands, with respect to sales, marketing, media and customer care activities in the online segment. As well as developing its own structure and implementing uniform processes, the existing national subsidiaries in the online gaming segment are being integrated into MIS.
2015: Foundation
Merkur Sportwetten GmbH consolidates the entire national and international sports betting business of the Gauselmann Group. This includes the offering and brokering of sports bets (in shops, online and mobile) under the brands Cashpoint (Austria and Denmark) and XTiP (Germany) as well as serving other international markets.
1996: Foundation
2016: Shareholding
msp consolidates the Gauselmann Group’s offering for the catering sector and is one of the leading vending machine operators in this segment Germany-wide. Headquartered in Essen, the company offers its customers top-quality machines and extensive services, such as individual set-up concepts and the planning of conversions, as well as property brokering. Moreover, msp holds 51% of the shares in Hartmann GmbH, a vending machine operator for truck stops and service areas.
2006: Foundation
2016: Shareholding
Royal Casino DGS GmbH with headquarters in Espelkamp operates around 40 arcades across Germany with a staff of 300. The Gauselmann Group has held 50 per cent of the company’s shares since 2016.
1992: Foundation
2019: Acquisition
With the acquisition of Totolotek S.A., the Gauselmann Group also entered the Polish market in 2019. The renowned sports betting provider based in Warsaw is expanding the sports betting business of the Gauselmann Group under the umbrella of Merkur Sportwetten GmbH. Totolotek has been firmly established in the Polish sports betting market since 1992 and is one of the three leading omni-channel betting companies in Poland. It markets its diverse range of sports betting services both stationary and online via its homepage and mobile app.
2005: Foundation
2018: Participation by Merkur Sportwetten GmbH
2020: Increased participation by Merkur Sportwetten GmbH
With the partial purchase of the Betcenter Group N.V., Merkur Sportwetten GmbH will enter the sports betting business in Belgium in 2018. At the beginning of 2020, the stake was even increased to 74.9 percent. With almost 90 points of sale, both in betting stores and kiosks, as well as an extensive online sports betting offer, Betcenter is the second largest sports betting provider and broker in Belgium.
2011: Foundation
2020: Participation
At the beginning of 2020, the Gauselmann Group acquires the dominant majority stake in the British development studio Bede Gaming Ltd. The company, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, develops and distributes online gaming platforms for operators of casino, sports betting and/or lottery offers. Bede Gaming is also a key partner of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), one of the largest lotteries in the world.
Merkur Casino International Gmbh Inc
As London’s ExCeL closed its doors at the end of yet another record breaking ICE, Merkur Gaming and the entire Gauselmann Group reflected with pride on a show that had seen the German gaming powerhouse set records all of its own.
On the largest and most impressive booth space ever for the Gauselmann Group, teams from around the world came together to present a wide range of gaming products and solutions. None more so, of course, than the real stars of Merkur Gaming: the games! With more than 140 games available for ICE attendees to see and try for themselves the booth was a magnet for visitors from the moment the doors at ExCeL opened to the show’s close, three days later. Standout game attractions were Arctic adventure, Snow Wolf Supreme and the wilds of Africa as portrayed by Savanna Stampede. In Snow Wolf Supreme the base game is presented on 40 lines but, when the bonus feature is triggered, that play phase transforms to be run on 80 lines. The great savanna plains of Africa provide the backdrop for Savanna Stampede, where the randomly triggered Bonus Reels bring Lions, Buffalos, Zebras, Wild Boars, Flamingos and Meerkats into action on the game’s up to 25 lines.
Great games demand great cabinets and, alongside Merkur Gaming’s world famous Avantgarde and Avantgarde Trio, Evostar and Merkurstar ranges was the new and elegant Allegro Curve cabinet that proved to be such a success on its international debut at the recent G2E in Las Vegas. Allegro (the name is derived from an Italian music notation that means ‘to play briskly and brightly’) is a stunning development. The cabinet features are a 43” curved Ultra HD monitor plus the latest Gforce Ultra HD multigame technology platform, an attractive lighting concept, a player perfect ergonomically assured seating position and its optional video touch button panel. Allegro is sleek, it is curvy and it is gaming entertainment ‘made in Germany’ that gives an exciting new dimension to the Merkur Gaming product range.
Brand new at ICE was the launch of the Merkur Roulette. This is the product of the recently concluded Strategic Technology Alliance between Merkur Gaming and Spintec of Slovenia. Built in Merkur style and of the highest quality the Merkur Roulette is a premium product that marks the Gauselmann Group’s proud entry into the multiplayer electronic table games market. Given its own dedicated space on the ICE booth the Merkur Roulette 8-player unit attracted both visitor attention and praise in equal measure and was an undoubted star of the show in its own right.
Another brand new development was the announcement that the UK Gauselmann subsidiary Blueprint Games is to enter the UK casino market with a range of B1 category games that, immediately post-ICE, would go on location trial with some of the UK’s leading casino operators.
In addition to games and gaming machines from its international sales brand Merkur Gaming, adp Gauselmann GmbH once again used ICE as a platform for showcasing various products for the German market. At the Gauselmann stand visitors were able to experience the latest multigamers for national arcades and the gastronomy sector, an exciting new additional feature and a new add-on in M-BOX design – all in compliance with the Technical Directive (TD) 5.0 implemented since November 2018. The M-BOX, adp’s most successful German multigamer was be presented in three different versions: the M-BOX Buzzer in a TRIO cabinet, which was launched in 2018 as the first buzzer AWP machine in the German arcade market, as well as the M-BOX SEVEN and the M-BOX EXPLOSION, each with its own exciting additional feature.
Filling the huge Gauselmann Group booth at ICE were the subsidiary companies that extend the famous laughing sun brand to every sector of today’s gaming landscape. Having recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, GeWeTe is the company that is responsible for cash handling solutions. This German company has amassed a wealth of experience in the realms of cash handling systems. GeWeTe offers a vast range of machines for many applications and market sectors – from compact to high-end, PC-based machines that master both cashless and cash handling requirements. All hardware and software development is carried out in-house. Thus, GeWeTe not only provides complete solutions to the market but is able to adapt and create cash handling solutions to match individual customer requirements. The success of GeWeTe is best seen in the home market of Germany. Even though the German street market (AWP) is very competitive, GeWeTe commands over 70% of the market share and has sold over 60,000 systems worldwide. GeWeTe is rapidly expanding in more European countries and has invested heavily in setting up subsidiaries to support key markets, such as in Spain, United Kingdom, Ireland and Italy. The ‘all-in-one’ solutions have enabled GeWeTe to offer a range of machines and options for all gaming sectors – casino, AWP (street market), VLT/SBG, bingo, redemption and sports betting.
Betting operator Cashpoint was presenting its extensive product portfolio at ICE London for the 20th year. At the company’s completely redesigned exhibition stand, sports betting fans from all over the world had a unique opportunity to discover the latest sports betting highlights from the Gauselmann Group. Cashpoint took advantage of the enlarged Gauselmann booth and designed a rotunda that allowed visitors to see the different products and more easily explore the connected world of Cashpoint. They soon found that the Cashpoint product portfolio encompassed much more than sports betting alone. The system platform designed by Cashpoint now also offers casino, games and virtual products in addition to classic sports betting, that B2B customers can optionally select and manage centrally. All platform solutions are individually tailored to the needs and wishes of the B2B partners and are available for all bricks-and-mortar, online and mobile channels.
Merkur Casino International Gmbh Pvt Ltd
Online gaming specialists edict egaming presented a new set of HTML5 table games at this year’s ICE. In the past edict already had a strong passion for the details of classic casino games due to the company’s long history with land-based casinos in Germany. In 2019, aside from several roulette and blackjack versions, the company launched Sic Bo and Craps also. Edict also added significantly to their online games portfolio. With several decades of experience in developing games, edict egaming have been translating this land-based experience to the online world for ten years now. New releases coming soon this year, African Mask, Flame of Egypt, Salmon Catch and Eastern Lights, will for sure match players’ expectations as they combine unique mathematics and in-game features. Edict is especially looking forward to the launch of Zentaurus, as this game has been long-awaited in the online market. Additionally, edict is expanding into new markets, as well as carefully watching the regulatory scene in Europe. A new data centre will soon enhance the gaming experience for players in South and Latin America. Furthermore, edict is looking closely at the development in Germany and expects the federal states to make a huge step in the right direction by setting a regulatory framework to allow online gambling all over Germany and thus give players a safe environment.
Merkur Casino International Gmbh Corp
Euro Payment Group (EPG) presented its product portfolio at ICE London. The payment service provider from the Gauselmann Group was present at ICE in two exhibition halls at the same time: not only on the expansion area of the Gauselmann Group but also with a stand in the area of payment providers. In almost all spheres, business done on the Internet has become part of everyday life. As a result, electronic payments are also becoming increasingly important. EPG acts as an interface between payment providers and online merchants. Based in the financial metropolis of Frankfurt am Main, the internationally active payment service provider is an experienced expert for online payment and gateway services. On behalf of its customers, it coordinates and authenticates all processes relating to the integration of payment methods and the processing of payment transactions in online business. The entire cash flow is handled by the subsidiary and the licensed financial institution EPG Financial Services Ltd., based in Malta. At ICE the EPG team presented a new payment method in the versatile product portfolio: the innovative cryptocurrency bitcoin. In response to the increasing demand for bitcoins as a payment option – especially in the areas of online sports betting and online gaming – EPG is now also offering online merchants tailor-made solutions for this type of payment. At the twin EPG stands, ICE visitors were able to gather information about standard payment methods via credit cards and online bank transfers, as well as the payment options PayPal, paysafecard, Skrill and Neteller, all of which are popular in the gaming industry.
At the conclusion of ICE Athanasios ‘Sakis’ Isaakidis, Chief Executive of Merkur Gaming International and Head of International Product Management, stated: “I can say for certain that this edition of ICE has been a tremendous success. Not just for Merkur Gaming but for all the participating subsidiary companies of the Gauselmann Group also. I want to thank everyone that attended as a team member for their hard work and dedication. Everyone played their part: from the build-up and breakdown crews that made the new and enlarged booth so special, to the catering and booth hostess staff that ensured the standards of hospitality for which the Gauselmann Group is famous were fully met and, of course, to our dedicated commercial and technical teams. They all contributed to the success that was created here in London. Merkur Gaming has much to achieve in 2019 and I can say without doubt that the new contacts that we have made here at ICE and the existing friendships that we value so highly will go a long way to ensuring that our targets for the rest of this year will be met.”