But the transformation is more than just a structural reorganization. It manifests itself above all in a modernized corporate culture and an agile leadership team. At its locations, the Merkur Group relies on a management team that combines professionalism with innovative drive and replaces outdated traditions with contemporary, results-oriented leadership models. This new era thus represents a corporate culture that consistently places competence and modern management standards at the center.
Interviews with directors and managers reveal that the success of the transformation is largely shaped by a new mindset: it combines entrepreneurial momentum, an unwavering focus on employees, and a clear priority on social responsibility. The following insights from management provide a glimpse into how this approach is being implemented in practice.
Sven Otzisk, Casino Monheim
The opening of the new building in Monheim exemplifies the Group’s new direction. Director Sven Otzisk describes the new speed and clarity in the decision-making process:
ISA-GUIDE: Where do you see the biggest differences today in decision-making processes and scope for action compared to the past?
Sven Otzisk: Decision-making processes are significantly shorter and more transparent. In the past, many processes were tedious and highly formalized. Today, we can react more quickly, implement innovative ideas, and develop the location in a targeted manner.
ISA-GUIDE: What is particularly important to you for your location in the coming years?
Sven Otzisk: That we continue to establish ourselves as a modern and responsible casino. Not only for our guests, but also as an attractive employer for our employees. Quality, sustainability, and a strong team should form the foundation of our success.
Volkan Celep, Food and Beverage at Casino Duisburg
A clear change of course has also been implemented in the food and beverage sector, which is essential for positioning casinos as places of experience. For Volkan Celep, Director of Food and Beverage at Casino Duisburg, the central challenge lay in creating a shared understanding of entrepreneurial action:
ISA-GUIDE: From your perspective, what was the biggest challenge in transforming a public-sector-oriented structure into an entrepreneurial environment?
Volkan Celep: The biggest challenge was to create a shared understanding of profitability without making people feel that it’s all about numbers. For years, many areas lacked transparency regarding costs, efforts, and results. Establishing this openness while simultaneously explaining why changes were necessary was a demanding task.
ISA-GUIDE: When you look back at the time before and after the takeover: What do you see as the most important difference between “then” and “now”?
Volkan Celep: The most important difference is clarity. Today, there are clear goals, transparent structures, and a comprehensible management system for the operations. This clarity makes it possible to identify trends early on and actively develop the restaurant business, rather than merely reacting to challenges.
Sebastian Kuehn, Spielbank Siegburg
As a former hotel director, Sebastian Kuehn, future director of Spielbank Siegburg, brings an outside perspective to the industry. He assesses the scope for action and the priorities of the new business sector:
ISA-GUIDE: Where do you see the biggest differences today in decision-making processes and scope for action compared to the past?
Sebastian Kuehn: I have to say that, as the director of a Merkur casino, I am subject to significantly stricter regulatory conditions (laws, regulations) than in the hotel industry, but the scope for economic decisions is much greater; you have more flexibility in your actions, and the path to a decision is shorter.
ISA-GUIDE: As a director, how do you handle the tension between economic responsibility and the unique social role of a casino?
Sebastian Kuehn: At no point have I ever felt that economic responsibility and social role are at odds with one another at Merkur. However, particularly in light of my long career in the hotel industry, I have observed that the social role at a Merkur casino carries significantly higher priority—not just in small, short-term actions, but generally and over the long term.
Thomas Stossberg, Casino Duisburg
Thomas Stossberg, casino director in Duisburg, emphasizes the positive signal sent by the group to the staff immediately after the takeover and highlights a key difference from the former operator:
ISA-GUIDE: When did you first feel that the team’s initial skepticism had gradually turned into acceptance or trust?
Thomas Stossberg: I didn’t experience much skepticism. The Executive Board’s first appearance at a staff meeting, immediately after the takeover, gave us a great deal of confidence.
ISA-GUIDE: When you look back at the time before and after the takeover: What do you see as the most important difference between “back then” and “today”?
Thomas Stossberg: I think the most important difference is that Merkur invests heavily in its employees. The range of opportunities for professional development is vast, both for new and for already experienced employees or managers. That didn’t exist back then.
Jacqueline Oud-van der Vorst, Casino Bad Oeynhausen
For Jacqueline Oud-van der Vorst, casino director in Bad Oeynhausen, the focus is on establishing a strong presence in the local community and realigning the offerings:
ISA-GUIDE: How significant are the regional characteristics of your location today—and how much freedom do you have to actively shape them?
Jacqueline Oud-van der Vorst: We are actively committed to the local community and support numerous clubs through sponsorship. Our central location in the Werre-Park in BOE is particularly attractive in the region. I have the opportunity to actively develop this further, naturally within the framework of legal requirements and in consultation with management.
ISA-GUIDE: What is particularly important to you for your location in the coming years?
Jacqueline Oud-van der Vorst: It is important to me that, as a casino, we—together with our employees—continue to shift our focus from product-oriented to guest-oriented and play an even more visible and significant role in society. To remain flexible, we will also focus on the multifunctional deployment of employees in the coming years.
Thomas Nowarra and Sebastian Griese, Casino Hohensyburg
The management duo at Hohensyburg, Thomas Nowarra and Sebastian Griese, describe the changed management style and how the team was guided through the sensitive phase of change:
ISA-GUIDE: Has your role as casino director changed since the takeover—and if so, in what way?
Thomas Nowarra/Sebastian Griese: We only took over management after privatization. Today, we are much closer to our colleagues, implement ideas much faster, and are more creative together. I experienced this dynamic and its results less frequently with the directors during the WestSpiel era.
ISA-GUIDE: How did you guide your team through the transition phase, particularly in the first few months after the takeover?
Sebastian Griese: Trust is built through communication, transparency, and honesty. There are no stupid questions—only stupid answers. And of course, we must also respectfully address the skepticism of our internal colleagues during this process of merging the two worlds of MERKUR and WESTSPIEL. Change and transformation processes are not a sprint, but a marathon.
Jörg Söerries, Spielbank Aachen
Jörg Söerries, Director of Spielbank Aachen, looks back on the acquisition and makes a clear statement regarding the prioritization of success and responsibility:
ISA-GUIDE: How did you personally experience the moment when it became clear that the casino was moving under the umbrella of the Merkur Group?
Jörg Söerries: It was an exciting time. A wide variety of information was also being circulated from outside sources. But I personally welcomed the privatization to MERKUR, to a specialist.
ISA-GUIDE: As director, how do you handle the tension between economic responsibility and the special social role of a casino?
Jörg Söerries: Compliance with all legal requirements is a prerequisite for operating a casino. For me, this means that the objectives of the State Treaty on Gaming take precedence over economic success. Here, the emphasis clearly lies on the casino’s social responsibility.
The Cornerstones of Success
The voices of the executives paint a clear picture of Merkur’s transformation: At the center are streamlined decision-making processes, a new entrepreneurial dynamic, and a focus on employees as the most important asset. There is broad agreement that social responsibility and compliance with strict legal frameworks do not conflict with economic success, but rather form the prerequisite for it. The “new era” of casinos is thus one that prioritizes trust, transparency, and sustainable development.
Outlook
With stable teams, modernized facilities, and clear leadership structures, the transformation of casinos in North Rhine-Westphalia is well underway. Yet every transformation also raises the question of the bigger picture: Why this path? What is the philosophy behind it? And where is it supposed to lead?
The concluding part of this ISA-GUIDE series addresses these questions—from the perspective of the person who set the strategic framework and played a key role in driving the transformation: David Schnabel
Did you miss the last article? Read it here: How Casino Directors Shape the Transition Between Corporate Strategy and Day-to-Day Operations
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