First casino licence issued: Who is behind the Mernov?

In mid-May of this year, the competent authority finally issued the first German licence for virtual slot machines. The company which had pre-emptively applied for the necessary licence was the Mernov Betriebsgesellschaft mbH. In the meantime, the company has been renamed. But who is behind the company which managed to acquire the first German casino licence in Germany?

The Mernov Betriebsgesellschaft mbH was till now an unknown subsidiary company of the Gauselmann-Group. On the 17th. May of this year we had already reported that Mernov had managed to acquire the first German licence for virtual slot machines. Many gambling fans had afterwards questioned why it was this company and not any other that managed to acquire the first casino licence. And in fact, the licence was for online casinos which at this point are not even open. A few days ago, the Gauselmann-subsidiary issued a press statement and gave details of the company structure.

Mernov Betriebsgesellschaft mbH had in the past already been renamed

According to the information given by the company itself, the Mernov Betriebsgesellschaft mbH was founded in “2020 in the centre of Berlin” and it is said to provide a “100 % legal gambling experience in Germany“.

However just a few months after Mernov acquired the German licence, which is in such demand, the company was renamed. The company is now registered in the trade register under the name of DGGS Deutsche Gesellschaft für Glücksspiel mbH and which bears the company address of Voßstraße 22 in 10117 Berlin. According to the trade register the company name and address were only changed on the 19th. July 2022. The company was previously based in Espelkamp in Nordrhein-Westphalia, where the Gauselmann AG is also based. In the imprint of the website mernov.de it is however pointed out that “the offers of the brands JackpotPiraten and BingBong are provided by Mernov Betriebsgesellschaft mbH“.

Who is behind Mernov or as the case may be the DGGS?

According to its own information, Mernov is a so-called Joint Venture of the Gauselmann Group with Greentube, the Digital Gaming and Entertainment Division of Novomatic AG. Both gambling concerns have 50% each share of the Mernov Betriebsgesellschaft mbH.

The aim is that of offering the players a “legal, safe and high-quality product “. Of course, the product confirms with “the regulatory requirements of the State Gambling Act 2021 and is available nationwide “. The focus of the company brands is responsible gambling. In one of our articles around one or two weeks ago we had tackled the issue about which further online casinos have already received a licence for virtual slot machines. Besides Mernov, there are also the Tipwin Ltd. (Tipwin.de) and the Ruleo Alpenland AG (Mybet.de).

Conclusion

The Mernov Betriebsgesellschaft mbH, which is now called the DGGS Deutsche Gesellschaft für Glücksspiel mbH, is a merger of the gambling concerns Gauselmann and Novomatic on the German online gambling market. The brands JackpotPiraten.de and BingBong.de are currently fully licensed online casinos in Germany. In view of the fact that two well-known gambling groups in the industry are behind Mernov, it is not a big surprise that the first casino licence was issued to this company.

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