Dreams calls for the suspension of the casino license renewal process in Chile

Which have been the main challenges and opportunities that Dreams has faced since the pandemic started?
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought challenges to the casino sector and to our company and its different units in Chile, Peru, Colombia, Argentina and Panama have not been the exception. The challenges include cutting operating expenses, partial and intermittent openings of operations together with their complementary services and, of course, long periods of closure of our doors for almost 1 year and a half. Beyond the challenges, we are a resilient company, and this has led us to find opportunities, such as developing a complete operating plan that prioritizes the health of our workers and visitors when we have to reopen and thus allow us to assist people with full tranquility to our properties.

Which is the average profile of the Dreams player?
The average client, I would say, corresponds to adult people, in several cases with good incomes, who seek a distraction from everyday life and live an entertaining experience. Our visitors frequently visit us with their close circle, they can be friends or family, and more than a casino theme itself, for the most part, they seek a 360 ° experience that is not only limited to playing in the casino and being alone, Rather, it is an experience to share accompanied by a pleasant moment in one of our restaurants, bars or hotels, as well as shows of various kinds.

Do you think online and live gaming are complementary? If so, in which way?
They can clearly be complementary, but within a legal framework that guarantees the confidence of the players in the game, the Public Faith, responsible gambling, the protection of children and adolescents and the payment of taxes. For that, it is necessary that both online gambling and land based gambling are expressly authorized by law and regulated by the authority. When this fails, players and the community cannot have a safe entertainment experience.

At least we think that when a business is developed in a country, conditions must be considered to allow the field to be even for all participants. In the case of Chile, the current Law No. 19,995 or “Casino Law” only regulates and authorizes physical casinos to operate, but prohibits online gambling.

However, we have observed that online gambling is exploited in Chile without the authorization of the law or the control of the authority. It is a matter of tuning into a Chilean television channel, looking for a sporting event and waiting for online gaming advertising. The same Chilean soccer championship of the Primera B has as its main sponsor one of these online companies. This is against the law and the Superintendency of Casinos has a legal obligation to report these illegal activities to the Justice.

Unfortunately, operators with servers located in other countries lend in Chile, without the authority being able to guarantee the Public Faith - that players are not cheated and that they are paid what the rules of the game indicate, among other things- responsible gambling or paying taxes. Indeed, what is the contribution that these companies make to the Treasury? Neither. The casinos by law contribute 10% of our income to the municipalities where the facilities are located and, in addition, we must contribute another 10% to the Government of the region in which the municipality is located, among another series of compliance.

How are you organizing the casino reopening and which protocols are being held?
The company has complied with all the protocols needed to protect the health of workers and visitors. Such Protocols, which are strict, comply with the instructions of the Ministry of Health and have the support of the Unions of the different Dreams properties. In addition, we have permanent control over them from the Mutual de Seguridad and SGS, an international certification company with ISO standards.
All of the above has allowed us to have an experience of zero occupational infections among our workers inside the casinos, something that fills us with pride, since the protocols involve endless measures, such as having air purifiers in the rooms from game to a complete traceability plan between our hosts. The latter allows us to know their health status and specific aspects, such as being aware of where they circulated in their respective workplaces.

We have a strong commitment to upholding the Protocols and we do our best to ensure that they are enforced.

Which are the goals and expectations for the near future, both for the casino in particular and the games of chance sector in Chile, in general?
This pandemic has taught us to live with high uncertainty. We hope to have a greater continuity not only for our operations but also for the stability of our workers. At the sector level, we also hope that the process of granting or renewing licenses for casinos here in Chile scheduled for next October is suspended by the Casino Superintendent.

Not only because a bidding system is being applied to the one established by law, but also because it is an obvious fact that the conditions for a call of this type are in place in the context of a global pandemic. On the other hand, the current situation of the authority is delicate, since the Superintendency of Casinos is being investigated by the Comptroller General of the Republic for an irregular exercise of its powers and has announced that it will audit the bidding processes.

We trust that sanity prevails, this license renewal process will be suspended and the mechanism provided for in the current law will be applied, that is, that “The operating permits granted prior to the modification of this law will be governed by current regulations. at the time of its granting ”as stated in the transitory article 3, subsection 5 of the Chilean Casino Law.