GMB - Tell us about Sun Dreams in Chile. How is the company after the innovations made in the casino?
Jaime Wilhelm - Sun today is in a period of innovation in casinos operating in Chile seeking new ways to attract younger players that are much more closer to entertainment than to only casinos games.
In our main casino, which is the Monticello, we have just inaugurated an arena with capacity for 4 thousand people in which we receive great shows every weekend. We have also opened three new restaurants; a gaming bar that seeks to attract the youth in a more playful and fun way with a low price in which they can spend a great period of game and entertainment seeing many artists as there is an artistic director. They can be very well there, it's an interesting place.
What do you think of the Brazilian market?
The Brazilian market is very attractive and when it opens it will be by far the most important in Latin America. We are waiting for legislation to make them understand what Brazil wants from casinos.
On what does Sun Dreams mainly base its business model? Could Brazil fit in?
Our model, that is based on entertainment and where gaming is part of entertainment as a whole, needs to have good feedback that can contribute to the model that Brazil wants.
What do you expect from the new Sun Dreams acquisition in Mendoza, Argentina? What do you expect from this new venture?
Mendoza fulfills many of the things we look for when we make an investment in a country. It is in Argentina, but it is very different from the rest of the country with a transparency that allows us to know the results of the casinos looking at an internet page of the public institution that controls it. Illegal gambling is absolutely controlled.
Is it better than Peru?
They are different. The Mendoza model is one in which casinos are part of an entire entertainment offer, a form that is made only in South Africa and Chile. The casinos are accompanied by hotel, restaurants, and shows, similar to what is seen in Chile and South Africa. The Peruvian model was born from the legalization of illegal gambling, where it was done a great job, very important. However, the type of casino that is in Peru is different from the ones in Mendoza.
Talking about the fiscalization of the tax rate that companies pay. It is similar?
Yes. What is done in Mendoza and Peru is similar. Everything is done online.
Source: Exclusive GMB
