Council of State suspends new Brussels casino licence
Belgium's Council of State has suspended the 15-year Brussels casino licence awarded to Napoleon Games following a challenge by current operator Viage.Summary
The Belgian Council of State has suspended the 15-year Brussels casino licence that had been awarded to Napoleon Games, following a legal challenge from Viage, the current licence holder. Viage raised several objections, including non-compliance with award criteria, insufficient reasoning behind the decision, and manifest errors of assessment. A conflict of interest involving Brussels mayor Philippe Close (PS) was also cited, as Close sits on the board of Anderlecht football club—one of Napoleon Games' key partners—and did not recuse himself from the meeting on the concession award.
The Council of State ruled in Viage's favour regarding the €750 million contract, citing shortcomings in the procedure, particularly in the reasoning behind the decision and compliance with European regulations on foreign subsidies. The court found that not all elements of the tender specifications had been adequately considered and that some elements taken into account were not relevant to the concession.
The City of Brussels now faces three options: restart the award procedure (which would take several months while the current licence expires on 31 December), confirm Napoleon Games' selection by strengthening its legal reasoning, or reassess bids submitted during the suspended procedure. However, none of these options is likely to prevent a new appeal from a rejected bidder. The Brussels casino generates an annual royalty of €10 million for the city.
(Source：The Bulletin)