Tag: Hard Rock

Hard Rock to Build Guitar-Shaped Casino Hotel in Vegas

Posted on by Grant Mahon

Hard Rock is one of the most recognizable brands on the planet. In big part, it’s thanks to its famous logo often presented in the forefront of an upright standing guitar. The company has already created several venues shaped like the guitar, the most famous being the one in Hollywood, Florida.

At least that’s for the time being as Hard Rock has been given the light for the construction of a new guitar-shaped hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

Hard Rock Guitar Tower to Be Constructed at The Mirage

Earlier this week, Clark County officials greenlighted the construction of the Hard Rock guitar tower on the location of The Mirage Volcano. The building is supposed to have almost 40 floors, featuring a gaming space, as well as restaurants, bars, and accommodations for the guests of the casino.

The tower is going to be constructed on the grounds of The Mirage, a luxury casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, which is operated by Hard Rock International. As per the deal, the tower construction will be just one piece of a much larger project meant to revamp the iconic resort.

The Mirage has been owned by Hard Rock for just over a year. It was December 2021, when the company bought the casino hotel from MGM Resorts for a reported price of $1.08 billion. Since then, the new owners haven’t done too much to rebrand the venue, but that’s about to change. In fact, we could see Hard Rock commence the construction of the guitar-shaped tower in the next couple of months.

Grant Mahon

Grant is the self-professed casino madman and reporter that brought this eclectic team of dedicated and talented writers together from around the world to proudly build an humble empire of authentic casino news.

Bet365 Is Preparing to Open Up First Betting Shop in the US

Posted on by George Hansen
  • Bet365 prepares for New Jersey launch in Marlton
  • The UK gaming & betting company has acquired 19,000-sq-mt property
  • Betting expected to start in summer
  • Bet365 is teamed up with Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City

Bet365 is among the last UK operators that is yet to start expanding into the state. With William Hill and 888 already planning rapid scaling of their operations in other states, Bet365 is making a tentative step into New Jersey.

New Jersey Welcomes Bet365’s First Betting Shop

Bet365’s financial and business successes have kept the company ahead of many other competitors back home in the United Kingdom. However, Bet365 didn’t make serious plans to push into the United States until last summer, when it partnered up with Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, signalling its intention to enter the market.

New Jersey’s law obliges any digital entrant to find an established casino property to work with if it wants to introduce its online product. This way land-based casinos and online operators can work together, the state believes. It has worked so far.

Bet365 is behind William Hill and even 888, but it’s determined to catch up. The company’s first shop will be set up in Marlton, around 50 miles from Atlantic City, NJ’s gaming hub. It’s expected that the company will focus purely on sports betting initiatives, though online gaming is another area where Bet365 has been able to excel.

Bet365 certainly has the makings of a promising company. With hefty revenue and executive pay, the UK’s betting firm is easily one of the world’s largest tax payers.

Some Catching Up to Do

Bet365’s name commands a lot of respect, but this alone is not a stepping-stone for success. New Jersey is already full of companies that have clawed a solid share of the market. Without a shade of doubt, the most influential sportsbooks in the state by virtue of their revenue remain:

  • DraftKings Sportsbook
  • Borgata
  • FanDuel
  • 888 sport
  • William Hill

FanDuel and DraftKings are usually neck-and-neck whereas the other brands, including William Hill have commanded a more modest share of the market. Still, British companies are doing very well in the United States and in New Jersey in particular, relying on a mix of innovative solutions and tailoring their offer for the US market.

Bet365 is also looking well beyond conventions, hoping to beat everyone to the punch in places like New York where legalizing the industry is not quite yet in sight. It has signed an agreement with Empire Resorts in NY and the company has reportedly paid a lobbyist firm to try and push the legislation forward.

George Hansen

Taking a liking to the occasional bout of slots, George used to moonlight as a roulette dealer, giving him a unique perspective into the casino world. From there he continued his journalist education and has been with us ever since a star-aligned graduation brought him and our team together.

Hard Rock Atlantic City Opens GiG-Powered Sportsbook in NJ

Posted on by Carmen Thompson
  • Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City officially launches
  • The casino’s sportsbook is powered by GiG’s omni-channel betting platform
  • Hard Rock’s just on time for the Super Bowl event in one week

Hard Rock has finally launched its New Jersey’s property. Using online sportsbook technology by Gaming Innovation Group (GiG), the Hard Rock hotel & Casino Atlantic City is off to a good start.

Hard Rock Offers Online Sports Betting in New Jersey

Hard Rock has opened its latest property, the namesake Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. The property’s sportsbook is running on technology developed and implemented by established gaming solutions developer Gaming Innovation Gaming (GiG).

As a result, customers will be able to place their wagers through HardRockSports.com using the dedicated native app. Alternatively, the property will be open to all bettors who want to come and place their wagers in person.

Only entering into the market, the sportsbook has prepared an ample choice of viable gaming options, including:

  • American football
  • Ice Hockey
  • Football
  • Basketball

College sporting events are also part of the betting options, although NCAA’s President Mark Emmert has long been cautioning against allowing bookmakers to offer odds on such events. It’s worth noting that New Jersey college events are excluded from the offer.

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City President Joe Lupo expressed his company’s excitement at the new opportunity, saying the following:

We couldn’t be more excited to launch our online and land-based sportsbook, providing our guests and players the opportunity to bet on football’s big game this weekend.

Mr. Lupo also talked about the continuing development of the property as a top entertainment venue.

“Hard Rock has global recognition, unparalleled reach and the same high ambitions as us. We look forward to continuing to support Hard Rock’s growth in New Jersey,” GiG CEO Robin Reed added.

Hard Rock’s growth in New Jersey has indeed been impressive, with the casino brand being one of the flagship operators trying to expand their footprint, both at home and abroad.

Osaka Has Head Start in Japan’s IR Bidding

Hard Rock was one of the first properties to propose a model for the upcoming Integrated Resort (IR) in Japan, which will not be open until mid-2020.

As a reminder, GiG and Hard Rock signed a Letter of Intent in October, 2018, with Hard Rock choosing GiG because of the developer’s streamlined omni-channel sports betting solutions.

Given the timing of the opening, Hard Rock will be fully able to bank on the upcoming Super Bowl event, which is expected to generate sufficient interest and sports betting handle. The fact that Hard Rock allows customers to place and monitor wagers any way they want will only enhance the property’s sports betting services.

Carmen Thompson

Carmen is our residential reporter always on the move and hunting down the latest scoops and rumours to explore. Nothing gets past her keen nose, especially when it comes to some serious Jelly Bean poker tournaments.