Overview
- Paul Gauselmann died on Friday, August 21, 2026, the Merkur Group announced, and he is survived by his wife, four sons, nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
- Gauselmann built Merkur from a one‑man music‑box operation founded in 1957 into an international gambling group with roughly 15,000 employees and about €2.1 billion in annual revenue.
- The Gauselmann family placed its shares into the Gauselmann‑Familienstiftung in 2016, making the foundation the group's sole owner and formally securing ownership continuity.
- He stepped down from active group leadership in 2024 but remained involved in regular office visits, and current governance roles include Lars Felderhoff as board leader and Michael Gauselmann in supervisory positions.
- Gauselmann was a long‑time industry figure and regional benefactor, holding awards such as the Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class and funding major local projects, and the foundation and board will now oversee the company’s operations and public communications as it continues to run casinos, arcades, gaming‑machine manufacturing and sports betting.