Authorities in the German city of Halle have granted a joint-venture between the Gauselmann Group and the Swiss Stadtcasino Baden permission to construct a E4.5m casino in the city.
The Merkur Spielbanken Sachsen-Anhalt, first announced in February of this year, will offer a 340 sq m slot-only gaming floor, featuring 85 slots including electronic roulette, and create 20 new jobs.
“With the approval, work on the Merkur Spielbank Halle can now begin in a timely manner,” said David Schnabel, MD of Merkur Spielbanken.
“We are very happy to be able to realise the blueprints now. After the very successful development of the two casinos in Leuna-Gunthersdorf and Magdeburg, the implementation of another location was the next logical step.”
The site, the third opening by Merkur Spielbanken Sachsen-Anhalt in the state of Saxony-Anhalt since 2014, will be located within the listed site of a former casino.
“Since the building is a listed building both from the outside and inside, we will carry out the conversion work in close cooperation with the monument protection authority” said architect Susanne Rasspe.
Merkur Spielbanken Sachsen-Anhalt currently holds six casino licenses within the state, eligible for another 11 years, and within the provisions of the Casino Act the company has licence to increase the number of slots in the new Halle property to 120.
“The casino business in Germany is difficult,” added Schnabel, “which is why we are proud that we are breaking away from this trend with Merkur Spielbanken Sachsen-Anhalt.”
