PAUL GAUSELMANN


The games maker An obituary for Paul Gauselmann


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aul Gauselmann, founder and, for decades, Chairman of the Board of the Merkur Group, passed away on August 21st 2026, shortly before his 92nd birthday. Born in Westphalia, he built up a one-man business after the Second World War into an international Group with more than 15,000 employees and a total turnover of around 2.1 billion euros. For 67 years, he shaped the company; for decades, he also acted as an advocate for the German gaming machine industry as a whole. In 2003, he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit, First Class, and in 2004 he was distinguished as an honorary citizen of the cities of Espelkamp and Lübbecke. Paul Gauselmann is survived by his wife, Karin, four sons, nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.


Paul Gauselmann, founder and decades-long charismatic leader of the Merkur Group, passed away on 21 August at the age of 91. This is an obituary for one of the last patriarchs of the postwar era – a courageous fighter with grand visions, a proud father, (great-)grandfather and husband.


10 SEPTEMBER 2026


The news of his death has sent shockwaves through the Group’s head office in Merkur- Allee in Espelkamp and throughout the production halls in Paul-Gauselmann-Straße in Lübbecke. None of the staff members can bring themselves to accept that PG – as they respectfully and affectionately called him – will not be pulling up at any moment now, as he had done for decades, behind the wheel of his sedan. His presence can still be clearly felt everywhere. Even after stepping down from the Group’s top management in 2024, for many months he continued to come into the office Tuesdays and Thursdays to oversee day-to-day operations.


For 67 years, he shaped the fortunes of the group of companies, transforming what was once a one-man business into an internationally successful Group with more than 15,000 employees and a total turnover of around 2.1 billion euros. He was an extremely popular company director, an inspiring leader through and through. Even as Group head, PG was always happy to take the time for a quick chat with his staff, regardless of their


role within the company. A word of appreciation here, an interested enquiry there – Paul Gauselmann always treated everyone with respect. His experience as an employee himself taught him just how important appreciation and communication on an equal footing are. He remained true to this guiding principle throughout his life.


Paul Gauselmann was born in 1934 in Borghorst near Münster (Westphalia, Germany). At the age of just two, he lost his mother and was subsequently raised by relatives in Münster, separated from his father and his four brothers. He was five years old when the Second World War broke out. As a young boy, Paul Gauselmann experienced devastating air raids, constant fear and great hardship. These experiences taught him at an early age to improvise and stand his ground. During the long nights when he couldn’t sleep because of the air-raid sirens, he also came to appreciate the value of the game: “We simply used games to pass the time and take our minds off our fears,” he once said.


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