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Hollywood star Patrick Duffy and his wife Linda Purl are traveling to Siegburg, Germany, to headline the grand opening festival of the brand-new Merkur Casino. Duffy, globally renowned for his iconic television roles as Bobby Ewing in Dallas and the title character in The Man from Atlantis, will participate in the venue’s exclusive three-day opening celebration running until December 12.
David Schnabel, the Merkur Group board member responsible for the casino division, highlighted the significance of the high-profile visit:
“Live entertainment is part of the DNA of Merkur casinos. From Day One, we want to offer our guests in Siegburg more than just a first-class gaming experience: extraordinary show moments and memorable entertainment. With Patrick Duffy, we are welcoming a true Hollywood legend to the opening, someone who has made television history for decades. The fact that a global star of this calibre is coming to Siegburg especially for us makes this special occasion even more extraordinary.”
Milestone moments in Germany
Beyond his enduring legacy in the hit 1980s primetime drama Dallas, Duffy captured international acclaim through beloved series such as Step by Step and The Bold and the Beautiful. Meanwhile, Linda Purl earned widespread renown through memorable television roles in classic series like Happy Days and Matlock. For the couple, the joint visit to Siegburg holds unique personal significance, marking the first time the two Hollywood stars have appeared together at a public event in Germany.
The opening of the Siegburg venue represents a major milestone for the Merkur Group, which invested upwards of €35 million to establish North Rhine-Westphalia’s sixth state-licensed casino. Constructed on an accelerated timeline, the impressive facility was completed in record time, with only 20 months passing between the initial groundbreaking ceremony in late March 2025 and its grand debut in December 2026.
State-of-the-art gaming and local job creation
Spanning approximately 1,600 square meters of sophisticated gaming space, the new casino delivers a contemporary entertainment offering. Guests have access to traditional table games, including classic roulette and card tables, complemented by around 250 state-of-the-art slot machines. In addition to elevating the region’s entertainment landscape, the project has created approximately 100 sustainable jobs across diverse operational fields. Elsewhere in its broader European operations, the Merkur Group has continued its retail expansion by opening several Merkur Slots AGC venues across the United Kingdom over the summer.
