The Seminole Tribe of Florida was the first Indian tribe to get involved in high stakes gambling, and by the time 2004 rolled around, they had a successful history offering tax free tobacco shops and high stakes bingo operations, as well as their massive cattle operation, the 12th largest in the country, they were ready to move ahead with their first casino.
If there’s a tribe that has the mentality of go big or go home though, it’s the Seminoles, and they just didn’t start out with one large casino, they started with two, with one in Hollywood, Florida, and the other in Tampa.
By the next year, the tribe’s revenue exceed a billion dollars a year. They then set their sights bigger, and went after the company behind Hard Rock properties, Hard Rock International.
So in 1996, they bought the company for $965 million, including not only the brand but 131 Hard Rock Café’s, 22 hotels, and 11 casinos spread over 59 different countries. The Seminoles not only own a Hard Rock hotel and casino, 2 of them in fact, and 4 other casinos as well, they own Hard Rock itself now, including all of its licensing.
Florida did not permit table games at the time, but an arrangement was made whereby the Seminoles paid the state a $100 million fee and thus were allowed to offer all table games but blackjack.
Blackjack is the most popular game in the U.S. though, so its absence was noticeable, and this meant another deal had to be struck. This time the Seminoles lent the state $1.1 billion over 2 years for the right to offer blackjack as well.
When a state as large as Florida comes calling looking to borrow money, you know you’ve hit the big time, and this is most certainly the case with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood underwent $100 million worth of renovations in 2014, and a lot of this money was spent to upgrade the centerpiece of the property, their 5,500 seat Hard Rock live entertainment venue.
So this is definitely an Indian tribe with lots of money to spend and are not willing to settle for anything short of world class, and they have achieved exactly that with their famed casino in Hollywood, FL.
| CREATED | 2018 |
|---|---|
| Payment methods | EFT, MasterCard, Neteller, PayPal, Paysafecard, Skrill, Visa |
| Welcome bonus | |
| Customer support | Yes |
| Mobile | Yes |
| Games | Slots, Baccarat, Blackjack, Roulette, Video Poker, Keno, Scratch Cards, Bingo, Poker, Football Betting, Basketball Betting, Tennis Betting, Ice Hockey Betting, Boxing Betting, Handball Betting, Baseball Betting, Table Tennis Betting, Biathlon Betting, Volleyball Betting, Jackpot Games |
| Payout percentage | 98.9 |
| Payout speed | 1-24h |
Your Stay At The Hard Rock Hollywood
Considering that this establishment is a Hard Rock branded hotel and casino, it shouldn’t be surprising that music memorabilia plays a central role in the theme of the property, since that’s exactly what the Hard Rock brand represents. Historical artifacts contribute significantly to the vibe.
The hotel provides 500 music themed luxury rooms and suites, and the standard rooms might not be entirely up to the standards of a rock star as the hotel suggests, but they remain very pleasant and the décor is definitely quite upscale and modern. A tranquil garden is located nearby. These are indeed beautiful hotel rooms and really add to the enjoyment of your stay here.
The accommodations also include a wide list of amenities, such as being able to rent a guitar if you wish. The music theme here isn’t overdone though, it is tastefully muted and the ambiance and feel here will suit everyone’s tastes completely. A playground area is available for children.
Music totally plays a part in the hotel rooms though and guests can select from a range of complimentary tunes delivered right to your room. They also provide a very good concierge service intended to take care of all of their guests’ needs.
There are 2 signature dining venues as well as 7 “contemporary” ones, including of course, a Hard Rock café. They additionally have 3 casual eating spots, 4 places where you can grab snacks, and in room dining. Outdoor seating is also an option.
Nightlife here is of course center stage, and they feature 9 different bars available for your enjoyment and entertainment. There’s additionally the spacious Hard Rock Live venue which regularly showcases top musical performers.
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino also has a rock themed spa, and a 4.5 acre pool and lagoon, to ensure a relaxing stay. There are even several golf courses close by and their concierge is present to assist you with all of the arrangements.
The Casino
The casino part of the operation offers 145,000 square feet of gaming space, which is almost big enough to place them among the top 10 casinos in the world. So there’s a lot of rock and roll that goes on in the casino here as well.
There are over 2,200 gaming machines to play here, of every variety, including lots of video poker, and plenty of different progressive slots that players can use to shoot for huge jackpots. They also have a private high roller slots room where you can play with big money for big time excitement.
The table game selection is subdued compared with most other large casinos, but they do have several popular games, such as Blackjack, Mini Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker, Texas Holdem Poker, Casino War, Spanish 21, and Let It Ride.
Their table games are therefore limited to games that use cards, there are no wheels or dice here, but card based casino games are a lot of fun and also bring an element of strategy to the table, and no one seems to mind.
The Seminoles had enough trouble just getting the state to agree to these and unlike in some states where the Indians simply do what they want, the Seminoles have crafted an excellent relationship with the state government, which benefits them in many ways beyond their casinos, and things have worked out very well indeed for the tribe overall to say the least.
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood also has a very good poker room, with over 40 tables and a whole lot of poker action running all of the time. They offer many events here, and even some high buy in ones, including a World Poker Tour event.
If you like to play poker, the poker alone is well worth the stay here, although they have so much more to offer beyond that.
Overall, this is a very nice facility indeed, and the quality of the rooms in particular really stand out, there’s all the gambling you can handle, and it doesn’t hurt if you are a rock and roll fan.