| Merkur Group | |
| Location City: | Espelkamp |
| Location Country: | Germany |
| Key People: | Paul Gauselmann (founder) |
| Area Served: | Europe |
| Industry: | Gambling |
| Revenue: | €2.56 billion (2020)[1] |
| Num Employees: | 13,846 (2020) |
| Subsid: | Praesepe Cashino |
Merkur Group (formerly known as Gauselmann Group) is a family-owned, internationally operating business group in the entertainment and leisure industry, founded in 1957 by Paul Gauselmann.[2] The umbrella brand of the Gauselmann Group is Merkur. The company, based in Espelkamp and Lübbecke, develops, produces, and distributes entertainment gaming devices with and without the possibility of winning money, as well as money management systems. They also operate a chain of gaming arcades and work in the areas of sports betting, online gaming, financial services, and casinos.
In autumn 2012, it acquired the British company Praesepe, headed by Nick Harding.[3]
As of December 31, 2020, the Merkur Group has stakes in 212 companies.[4]
In the 2020 fiscal year, after a temporary lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the total business volume of the various business areas was €1.83 billion, around €770 million less than the previous year.[5] The Merkur Group has an export share of around 60%.[6] As of the end of the 2019 fiscal year, the Merkur Group employed around 14,000 people worldwide, including 250 apprentices, dual students, and interns. As of December 31, 2020, the number of employees was 13,029.[7]
The Merkur Group is involved in casinos in Germany[8] [9] and operates casinos on cruise ships.