Paul Gauselmann, the founder of Germany's largest gambling conglomerate, Merkur, has died at the age of 91, the Merkur Group announced Friday from its headquarters in Espelkamp.
Gauselmann built the business from a one-man operation after the Second World War into an international group employing around 15,000 people with annual revenue of approximately €2.1 billion. He opened the first Merkur gaming arcade in 1974, laying the groundwork for a nationwide chain. In 2016, the family transferred its shares into the Gauselmann Family Foundation, which became the sole owner of the group. Gauselmann stepped down from the company's leadership in 2024.
He received the Federal Cross of Merit First Class in 2003 and was named honorary citizen of Espelkamp and Lübbecke in 2004. Gauselmann also served as chairman of the Association of the German Amusement Industry for 28 years.