- Status
- Judgment entered (judgment)
- As of
- 17 Jul 2025 · read from the court record
- Court
- Conseil d'État, 7e-2e chambres réunies · Supreme or high court
- Docket
- 503317
- Judge
- Jacques-Henri Stahl (président); Alexandre Denieul (rapporteur); Nicolas Labrune (rapporteur public)
- Filed
- 2025
- Type
- Operator v. regulator, licensing and administrative court cases
- Money
- EUR 3,000 costs against the commune
- Payout
- No payout exists as of 14 Nov 2026
Status words follow the court record: a complaint states one side's allegations, only the court's orders decide anything. Filing a settlement claim is always free.
What this case is about
Partouche bought Berck's former bus station in 1997, converted it into the casino and leased it to its subsidiary Jean Metz, the concession holder since 2005. When the commune retendered in December 2024 it required bidders to hold title or a lease on the building; the Lille référé judge annulled the procedure on 25 March 2025. The Conseil d'État rejected the commune's appeal but, in a published ruling, held that assets necessary to a casino concession are biens de retour belonging to the commune even when owned by a third party closely tied to the concessionaire. The ruling reshaped the end-of-concession economics of French casino groups.
What this case is about
Conseil d'État n° 503317 is an appeal by the Commune de Berck-sur-Mer against a pre-contractual injunction order of the Lille administrative court (n° 2502084, 25 March 2025).
The respondent is the candidate bidder Société du Grand Casino de Dinant. The case was filed in 2025 and is one of the licensing and administrative court cases on the site.
The Société Jean Metz and Groupe Partouche intervened. The claims rest on the Code de la commande publique (equal treatment of bidders), article L. 551-1 of the Code de justice administrative and the theory of biens de retour, meaning assets that return to the commune when a concession ends.
Who is covered
The ruling concerns the commune, the casino concession holders and French casino groups. Partouche bought Berck's former bus station in 1997, converted it into the casino and leased it to its subsidiary Jean Metz, the concession holder since 2005.
When the commune retendered in December 2024 it required bidders to hold title or a lease on the building. The Lille judge annulled the procedure on 25 March 2025. Other French rulings appear under gambling lawsuits in France.
Is there a payout?
No payout exists for players in this case. The only money in the record is EUR 3,000 in costs that the commune must pay to Société du Grand Casino de Dinant.
It is a dispute between a public body and casino companies. Filing a settlement claim is free wherever a claim exists, but none exists here. GamblingLawsuits.org is not a law firm and not a claims administrator.
What the court decided
On 17 July 2025 the Conseil d'État (7e-2e chambres réunies, président Jacques-Henri Stahl, rapporteur Alexandre Denieul, rapporteur public Nicolas Labrune) rejected the commune's appeal. The interventions of Jean Metz and Groupe Partouche were admitted. As of 14 November 2026 the case is a decided judgment, published in the Lebon collection.
The Court held that casino games are not in themselves a public service. It nevertheless held that assets necessary to the concession are biens de retour, even when owned by a third party closely tied to the concessionaire.
Why it matters
The ruling is classed as a precedent. According to the case summary it reshaped the end-of-concession economics of French casino groups, because a building held by a related company can still return to the commune.
A follow-on dispute over returning the casino is listed below. For other fights between casino operators and public authorities, see operators against regulators and states.
Questions people ask
What is a "bien de retour"?
It is an asset needed to run a concession that returns to the commune when the concession ends. The Conseil d'État applied it to a casino building owned by a third party closely tied to the concessionaire.
Did the commune win?
No. The Conseil d'État rejected the commune's appeal on 17 July 2025 and ordered EUR 3,000 in costs against it, although its reasoning on biens de retour favored the commune's theory.
Are casino games a public service in France?
Not in themselves, according to the ruling. The Court said casino games do not constitute a public service in themselves.
Related cases
- Groupe Partouche c/ Commune de Lille (casino de Lille, délégation de service public): an earlier Partouche concession dispute, listed as decided.
- Groupe Partouche et Société Jean Metz c/ Commune de Berck-sur-Mer (restitution du casino): the follow-on dispute over returning the casino, listed as decided.
- Société du Grand Casino de Dinant c/ Commune de La Ciotat et Pleinair Casino: another challenge to a casino concession, listed as decided.
Who is involved
Plaintiffs: Commune de Berck-sur-Mer (pourvoi); Société Jean Metz and Groupe Partouche intervening
| Defendants | Société du Grand Casino de Dinant (candidate bidder) |
|---|---|
| Judge | Jacques-Henri Stahl (président); Alexandre Denieul (rapporteur); Nicolas Labrune (rapporteur public) |
| Claims |
|
Is there a payout?
No payout exists in this case as of 14 Nov 2026. The court record shows EUR 3,000 costs against the commune.
What happens next
No future date is on the record we hold. The case is closed on the record we hold; later appeals or enforcement steps would be added here.
Timeline
2 dated steps on record, oldest first. Future dates come from court notices and can move.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Filed |
| 17 Jul 2025 | Judgment entered |
Documents and sources
1 primary source (court file, administrator notice, regulator) and 0 secondary. Press is supporting evidence only.
- Docket: conseil-etat.fr
| What it supports | Source | Type | Retrieved |
|---|---|---|---|
| CE 17 July 2025 n° 503317, published in Lebon: pourvoi rejeté; biens de retour; casino games not a public service per se; CE n° 503317, 17 July 2025, 7e-2e ch. réunies, Stahl / Denieul / Labrune, publié au recueil Lebon; pourvoi of commune de Berck-sur-Mer against TA Lille référé order n° 2502084 of 25 March 2025 (L. 551-1 CJA); interventions of Jean Metz and Groupe Partouche admitted; pourvoi rejeté; 3 000 euros to Société du Grand Casino de Dinant; casino games 'ne constituent pas en eux-mêmes un service public' but assets necessary to the concession are biens de retour even when owned by a | conseil-etat.fr | primary | 14 Nov 2026 |
Related cases
3 cases in the record share parties, claims or a settlement with this one.
| Case | Court | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Conseil d'État: casino concessions are public service delegations (Lille) | Conseil d'État, 7e et 2e sous-sections réunies | Judgment entered |
| Partouche ordered to hand over the Berck casino building under EUR 500/day penalty | Conseil d'État, 7e-2e chambres réunies | Judgment entered |
| La Ciotat casino concession to Partouche's Pleinair annulled for 2027 | Tribunal administratif de Marseille, 3e chambre | Judgment entered |
Last checked against the sources on 14 Nov 2026. Found an error? Tell us and we correct the record with a dated note.