1957

The starting shot

Every story has a beginning – that of the Gauselmann Group dates back to 1957. In the spring of that year, Paul Gauselmann lays the foundation stone for what today is the Gauselmann corporate group by starting up a sideline installing jukeboxes. He begins with 17 Bergmann jukeboxes, while having practically no equity capital.

One year prior to that, Paul Gauselmann had already made a name for himself when, as a vending machine technician (and just 22 years old), he invented a remote selection box with a telephone dial for German jukeboxes. Up to then, only American jukeboxes had such as a feature. The remote selection box goes down as Paul Gauselmann’s first invention and the first patent in his entrepreneurial history. It is followed by more than 300 patents in the years to come.

The exceptional development from one-man business to international corporate group is a success story that only seldom occurs in Germany.

1974

The first arcade

Paul Gauselmann invents the modern arcade and opens the company’s first branch in Delmenhorst, Lower Saxony. He designs the arcade based on the standards of a four-star hotel and thus revolutionises the sector. The success factors are innovative games, outstanding service, highly-trained staff and a pleasant atmosphere. These factors are just as relevant today. On this basis, he develops MERKUR Casino into the most successful arcade operator in Germany.

1983

The top-seller

This year is a key year for the Gauselmann Group. Discs instead of reels now turn in the new “Merkur Disc” slot machine for the first time. With over 40,000 units sold, “Merkur Disc” is to this day the top-selling AWP machine in Germany. Thanks to this success, the Gauselmann Group becomes market leader as a manufacturer of gaming machines in Germany in 1985, holding more than 50 per cent of market share.

1990

Expansion

Since the early 1990s, the Gauselmann Group is becoming firmly established on international markets also and draws attention due to its games and technology ‘made in Germany’. With the ATRONIC subsidiary, managed by Michael Gauselmann, Germany’s market leader in the gaming sector makes its debut on the international casino stage. In 1998, ATRONIC is the first and only European company to be granted a manufacturing licence for the US state of Nevada, opening the doors for its innovative products to the largest casino market.

2012

Acquisition

By taking over the British arcade chain Praesepe, the Gauselmann Group makes the largest acquisition in the history of the corporate group. In one move, the Gauselmann Group gains access to the British market, which becomes more and more important over the coming years and develops into the second-largest market after Germany.