HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino will open today with all the glamor of a Las Vegas event.
The $279-million project's opening is expected to draw 1,500 people who will attend a brunch, poolside dinner and a performance by Huey Lewis & the News.
A $167-million sister Hard Rock casino opened in Tampa in March. The casinos are expected to bring in an estimated $1-billion in annual revenue. Existing Seminole operations in Hollywood, Coconut Creek and elsewhere already bring in more than $300-million in profits each year. For all but American Indians, who are allowed to offer gaming on their reservations, casinos are illegal in Florida.
The hotel in Hollywood has 500 rooms, 4,000 video gaming machines, poker tables and several restaurants. The casino does not offer blackjack or table games such as craps or roulette, which are illegal under state law.
The public area has large ballrooms and a 6-acre pool site with a 180-foot water slide. Guest rooms include marble and granite baths and sweeping balconies.
Tampa Hard Rock is already exceeding the Seminoles' expectations, said James F. Allen, chief executive of gaming operations for the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The resort is drawing 20,000 patrons a day on weekends, he said.
The success of the casinos directly affects the 3,000 members of the Seminole nation.
Each Seminole receives $42,000 a year and free health care and college tuition because of gambling income. That amount will likely increase "if the casinos do as well as we think they are going to do," said Jim Shore, the tribe's general counsel.
