Gauselmann Family Foundation

History and Structure

Paul Gauselmann established the Gauselmann Family Foundation in 1999 on his 65th birthday, initially as a purely philanthropic body for youth and elderly welfare. In 2015, the charitable arm was renamed the Paul und Karin Gauselmann Stiftung with a distinct board. The pivotal transformation came on 1 January 2016, when the foundation assumed the role of sole shareholder of the entire Gauselmann Group, holding all voting shares previously distributed among the founder’s four children. This move was designed to prevent fragmentation of the family-owned enterprise and secure its long-term independence. Today, the foundation is the permanent holding company of the Merkur Group (formerly Gauselmann Group), ensuring strategic cohesion across generations.

Governance

Governance is structured around a Foundation Board (Advisory Board) composed of a majority of family members, currently chaired by Michael Gauselmann (son of the founder), with Manfred Stoffers as vice-chair and members Jürgen Stühmeyer and Janika Gauselmann. This board makes all fundamental strategic and financial decisions. Oversight is further provided by a Supervisory Board, also chaired by Michael Gauselmann, which monitors the group’s management. Day-to-day executive management is delegated to the Management Board of the Merkur Group, led by Chairman Lars Felderhoff (formerly group CFO), who succeeded founder Paul Gauselmann on 1 October 2024 after the founder’s 67-year tenure at the helm. The foundation does not engage in commercial operations; it solely owns and controls the operating companies.

Operations and Brands

The foundation’s underlying Merkur Group owns an extensive portfolio of brands and operations. These include the globally recognised Merkur slot machine series (beginning with the Merkur B in 1977), the Merkur-Spielothek chain of over 800 amusement arcades across Europe, and the Merkur Casinos brand with more than 15 land-based casinos in Germany. The Merkur Games division handles online and mobile gaming, and the group also offers sports betting both retail and online. In the UK, the group owns Praesepe, trading as Cashino, a major arcade operator. The group holds a strong market position across continental Europe and operates under German federal and state gambling regulations, as well as UK Gambling Commission licences and various European regulators.

Financials and Community

Financially, the Merkur Group reported group sales of approximately €4 billion (including intercompany) and external sales exceeding €2.7 billion for the 2024 financial year, with an employee headcount of 15,254 as of 2025. The foundation maintains a debt-free balance sheet, reinvests profits, and supports hundreds of community and environmental projects in the Minden-Lübbecke region. Its charitable arm, the Paul und Karin Gauselmann Stiftung, holds an endowment of €71 million and has donated nearly €5 million to around 2,500 beneficiaries over 25 years. This hybrid model of family strategic control through the foundation with professional management has allowed the Merkur Group to navigate regulatory challenges, expand digitally, and maintain its dominance in European gaming.