Merkur Casino pledges £100,000 donation to Momentum Children’s Charity

Merkur Casino has donated £100,000 to Momentum Children’s Charity, supporting families with seriously ill children as part of a three-year partnership.

Momentum works with families across London, Surrey and Sussex, whose children are facing cancer or life-changing conditions. Momentum offers tailored support to entire families with the help of family support workers in hospitals and homes. The charity also operates a specialist bereavement service called Momentum Echoes.

Mark Schertle, Chief Operating Officer of Merkur Casino UK, said:

“At Merkur, we strongly believe that giving back to the communities we serve is important, especially when it comes to supporting those who are facing heart-breaking challenges. Momentum Children’s Charity provides invaluable and exceptional support to the families and children affected by cancer and life-challenging conditions, helping them to cope more easily whatever the outcome.

“Their services provide essential counselling, creative therapies, experiences and respite breaks, all of which make a real difference in people’s lives.”

What will the funding be used for?

Merkur’s funding will be used to help the charity continue with Momentum Echoes. Merkur announced the partnership at its annual company conference at the end of last year. Merkur also previously donated £10,000 to Momentum via its Merkur Community programme in 2024.

Sarah Woods, CEO of Momentum, said:

“We are delighted to be partnering with Merkur Casino UK and are extremely grateful for their generous support. This partnership will allow Momentum to continue providing vital emotional and practical help to families who have a child with cancer or a life-challenging condition.

“Over the next three years, this support will enable us to reach more families and respond to the growing demand for our services. With the first donation already received, we can already see the difference this partnership is making.”

Merkur’s UK and charitable presence

Merkur Gaming is part of the German-based Merkur Group. The group acts as both a supplier to the industry and as an operator. In the UK, Merkur operates slots and casino venues, and in September, Merkur expanded its UK presence with the acquisition of Oasis Retail Services, a gaming and amusement machine operator in Northern Ireland.

Merkur has often used its position in the UK to donate to charitable causes. From March 26 to 29, Merkur Casino Aberdeen will be hosting a four-day poker event in support of the Help for Heroes charity, which provides services to help veterans live independently after service. The tournament will feature a £12,000 prize pot, plus a minimum £5 donation.

In February, Merkur announced a £2,350 donation to HerMove Fitness, a charity which supports women who have been victims of domestic abuse. The donation will enable HerMove Fitness to deliver a 12-week fitness and wellbeing programme for women recovering from domestic abuse and trauma.

Merkur also recently donated to 4 All Foundation, which delivers locally-focused programmes to advance education and wellbeing, and alleviate poverty in the Shropshire area.

Merkur’s £2,000 foundation will allow 4 All Foundation to purchase new equipment and upgrade facilities to provide safe and supportive spaces for beneficiaries to overcome barriers.

Industry could take note

These are the types of actions which are usually not covered by mainstream media, but Merkur’s philanthropy is something others across the industry could take note of. Merkur Casino’s blog page currently only shows posts about charitable donations, with no posts about gaming activities.

While some are always likely to be cynical, the UK gaming industry does have reputational issues, and these are the types of initiatives that can help with that.