Is the Hard Rock Casino & Hotel returning to Las Vegas?

The chairman of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming, Jim Allen, has indicated his interest in returning to Las Vegas in a podcast with Bloomberg.

The prerequisite for this is the purchase of a suitable location. The last Hard Rock Casino & Hotel was purchased by Richard Branson, CEO of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, and will be reopened next year under this name.

Floridas Seminole Tribe, which includes Seminole Gaming, acquired Hard Rock International in 2007 for nearly $1 billion. After the acquisition, the company has continued to grow and now owns over 259 properties in 75 countries. These include casinos and hotels as well as the famous Hard Rock Café.

In an interview in 2012, Allen denied that he was interested in opening a Seminole Casino in Las Vegas. While he didn’t see any point in doing business in Sin City at the time, the strip now represents a great opportunity for the brand.

“If anything happens in the future, we’re excited to see what opportunities will arise in this particular environment.”

Various properties could be considered

Various properties are traded as possible locations for the new Hard Rock Casino & Hotel. Allen is said to have been very interested in Ballys and Planet Hollywood.

According to experts, Paris Las Vegas might also be a good location. The Cosmopolitan Hotel, allegedly for sale, is of no interest to anyone.

In recent months, some properties in Las Vegas have changed hands. Analysts, therefore, assume that a fierce bidding war can be expected for those properties that Hard Rock might be interested in.

Big new opening in Florida

Hard Rock opened a hotel & casino in the former Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey last year, which is now to be the casino with the second-highest turnover in the city.

A tragic collapse in New Orleans

On October 12th, a Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans that was under construction collapsed. Three people died, and more than 20 were injured.

The collapse site was initially classified as very dangerous. On Sunday, the fire brigade had brought two cranes to implode at the construction site with a controlled detonation. This allowed the construction to be stabilised and the investigation into the background to the accident to begin.

Jim Allen expressed his sympathy for the families of the victims and injured in the Bloomberg podcast. Although he hoped that the construction could be resumed, the first step would be to work with the local authorities.

Another reopening is scheduled for tomorrow. In Hollywood, Florida, the first guitar-shaped hotel will be opened as part of a celebration lasting several days. The building can accommodate 7,000 people and can not only be used as a concert hall. With a unique technical system, it can also be used for Broadway productions.

The live calendar includes performances by renowned artists over the coming weekends. These include the famous Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, Grammy winner Alicia Keys and music legend Billy Joel. Maroon 5 will kick off on Friday with their first appearance after their world tour.

Las Vegas as starting aid for expansion in the Japanese market

In January Hard Rock presented a resort concept for Japan. According to the concept, the company would have to apply for gambling licenses there. Experts assume that it could be helpful for this venture if Hard Rock International had a location in Las Vegas.

Nevada has a recognised regulatory structure, said Brendan Bussmann, partner of Global Market Advisors. This makes it one of the centres of the gaming universe. Those who position themselves here as gambling operators and hold a license could have an advantage for expansion in Japan.