The German arcade market continues to face an unknown future, yet despite this, the country’s largest gaming group, Gauselmann, saw an increase in business in 2013.
The German arcade business faces major changes in the years ahead as the länder, or states, seek to curb the growth of the sector and impose new restrictions that are expected to result in the loss of thousands of jobs. Last month, the German Federal Minister indicated that he was prepared to sign a the law put forward by the states, meaning tough new regulations could be in place as early as the fourth quarter of this year.
Gauselmann, one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of AWPs, announced that total business volume reached €1.85bn in 2013, up from €1.79bn in the previous year. The number of employees at the company rose by 1,757 to 8,161 and approximately €214m was invested in 2013, the majority of which was channeled into R&D.
“In view of the numerous political challenges from the communal level to the federal level that greatly affect the business results in Germany, we are satisfied with this result as we began focusing on international business at the right time,” said Paul Gauselmann.
In light of the ongoing instability in its domestic market, the group has been focusing on developing sales of its games and gaming machines, as well as arcade operations, abroad. It is also pushing its new sports betting and online gaming divisions.
