The Gauselmann Group filed the application for permission to offer virtual slot-machine games with the Saxony-Anhalt State Administration Office back in July 2021. “We have been waiting in the wings for some time with our range of virtual slot-machine games under the ‘Merkur Spiel’ brand. So we are all the more enthusiastic that we can now offer our online players the chance to enjoy the same Merkur classics that have been played millions of times at our bricks-and-mortar venues,” says Markus Ettlin, Management Spokesperson of Merkur Sportwetten GmbH. “This approval is an important and big step for us towards becoming the best omnichannel provider in the whole of Europe.” The development of games content for both the land-based and online segments has been one of the core competencies of the Gauselmann Group for many years. At a total of 13 locations worldwide, gaming specialists develop highly innovative games and game systems based on current market and customer trends, thus always striking the right cord with gaming enthusiasts. While international gaming has long been at home in the digital world, now the German online gaming market is also able to benefit from the innovative games developments of the Gauselmann Group.

The offering of virtual slot-machine games on the Internet complies with the legal requirements set out in the State Treaty on Gambling. The licence certifies that the family-run corporate group fully complies with the regulatory and statutory requirements governing the operation of virtual slot-machine games. The Gauselmann Group is, for example, one of the few providers already connected to the “LUGAS” cross-state gambling supervision system introduced along with the State Treaty on Gambling. The virtual slot-machine games that will be offered under the "Merkur Spiel" brand in the future have also been tested and approved by the Saxony-Anhalt State Administration Office and thus also guarantee compliance with German legislation. The Eastern Westphalians are thus demonstrating once again the high priority given to player protection within the Gauselmann Group – in both the land-based and online segments.