Spanish gaming giant expands into Marrakech’s iconic casino

Wednesday 19 November 2025 - 08:30

By: Sahili Aya

Spanish gaming giant expands into Marrakech’s iconic casino

The Spanish gaming group Circa, known for its online gaming platforms and physical slot-machine operations, has finalized an agreement to acquire 50% of the historic Casino de Marrakech, located within the prestigious La Mamounia Hotel. This major move fits into the company's broader expansion strategy, which has already strengthened its presence in Morocco.

Circa entered the Moroccan market in 2016 with a leisure complex in Agadir before accelerating its investments in recent years. The acquisition of half of the shares of the Marrakech Casino—previously owned by a private operator—marks a significant step for the Barcelona-based group, allowing it to operate a total of four casinos across the country.

Spanish media report that the deal was completed in November, only two months after Circa signed a preliminary agreement to purchase four additional establishments in Peru, as well as to acquire a stake in Bitbase, a company specializing in cryptocurrency ATMs.

The group, headquartered in Terrassa (Barcelona), has benefited from strong slot-machine revenue in the first half of 2025 and is pursuing ambitious international acquisitions alongside its online gaming activities. Morocco is seen as an attractive emerging market, and Circa has already been managing the Tanger Casino since 2022.

As a publicly traded company, Circa stated that the Marrakech transaction will not significantly affect its debt level, given the expected improvement in EBITDA once the new assets are integrated. The workforce at the casino will also remain in place despite the arrival of the new shareholder, in line with the company’s commitment to sustainable growth.

Morocco still represents a modest share of Circa’s financial performance, contributing 3% of total EBITDA. Spain remains the primary market with 47%, followed by Panama (11%) and Colombia (9.6%), according to Spanish business sources.