Joining the Seminole company in 2005 as a Director of Purchasing at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa, she later went on to serve as the Vice President of Purchasing for Seminole Gaming. 

Most recently, Bradford held the position of Executive Vice President of Administration for Seminole Hard Rock Support Services, where she was in charge of purchasing, vendor registration, travel, contract administration, cost control, warehouse operations, receiving, records retention, aviation and support building maintenance. 

Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming, stated: “Tracy Bradford has been instrumental in the hugely successful coordination of purchasing and other staff functions of Seminole Hard Rock Support Services.

“She will be a driving force in maximising the benefits of its entire consolidated operation.”

Prior to joining Seminole Gaming, Bradford began her casino industry career in 1984 as a Clerk Typist with Caesar’s Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City.

Bradford established purchasing departments and was part of grand opening teams at several casinos, including the Isle of Capri Casino and Sam’s Town Casino for Boyd Gaming, both in Tunica, Mississippi. 

Moreover, she was the Director of Purchasing at Ameristar Casino in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where she was responsible for purchasing, public space, hotel, wardrobe, warehouse, receiving and inventory control.

She joined Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, NJ, in 1986 as a Junior Buyer. During her 10-year career with the Trump Organisation, she was part of the grand opening team for the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. 

Bradford was promoted to Purchasing Agent and then to Purchasing Manager, with responsibility for purchasing, warehouse, receiving, inventory and wardrobe.

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The AGA board has appointed Allen on a two-year term that will begin in January 2022, when he will succeed Aristocrat Technologies CEO and managing director Trevor Croker.

“It has been a privilege to serve as AGA chairman,” stated Croker. “I’m incredibly proud of our success in laying the foundation for gaming’s recovery and ensuring our future is brighter than ever. I have the utmost confidence that Jim, Bill and the entire association will continue to lead the gaming industry forward.”

Allen, who has served on the AGA’s board of directors since 2015, has led all gaming, hospitality and entertainment operations for the Seminole Tribe of Florida for twenty years. 

“This is a pivotal juncture for the gaming industry and I’m honored to serve as the AGA’s next chairman,” commented Allen. 

“The AGA has played an essential role in uniting the industry throughout the pandemic, and I’m thankful to Trevor and the AGA board of directors for entrusting me to help lead the industry’s continued recovery.”

Furthermore, the AGA’s executive committee recently extended the contract of Bill Miller, AGA president and CEO, to remain in the aforementioned roles for an additional three years.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Jim as AGA chairman,” added Miller. “Jim brings decades of experience in commercial casino operations and tribal gaming—a perspective that will be invaluable as we work to set the industry’s agenda, accelerate gaming’s comeback and strengthen our value to communities across the country.

“Trevor has been a tremendous chairman of the AGA and trusted advisor to me over the past two years, guiding the industry through the most challenging time in its history. The AGA and entire gaming community are indebted to his service to the industry.”

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The upgrade, which is effective immediately, requires all guests to be stationary when lowering their masks or face coverings for eating, drinking or smoking. Also, guests are now prohibited from walking in all public spaces without protective face coverings.

“Seminole Gaming is committed to the health and safety of its guests and team members, and we are upgrading our comprehensive “Safe + Sound” program to further limit the threat from COVID-19,” said Jim Allen, Seminole Gaming CEO and chairman of Hard Rock International. 

“We are making sure our resorts and casinos are safe and sound so our guests and team members have peace of mind when they return.”

Furthermore, Seminole Gaming confirmed the immediate closure of PLA, an interactive gold and games restaurant tenant, due to failure to adhere to the ‘Safe + Sound’ guidelines.

In addition to the program enhancement, Seminole Gaming will expand the teams which deal with the enforcement of safety guidelines at its casinos and will outfit them in distinctive uniforms to create greater guest awareness of this important issue. Guests will be informed of the program upgrade and required to adhere to it, or they will be asked to leave the property.

The ‘Safe + Sound’ guidelines will also include: temperature checks for all guests and team members prior to entry, alternating slot machines will be turned off to help ensure social distancing, Plexiglass barriers, hand-sanitising stations and 50 per cent reduction in guest capacity.

The program upgrade will apply to all guests at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa, The Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, The Seminole Classic Casino in Hollywood, and the Seminole Brighton Casino, on the Brighton Seminole Reservation northwest of Lake Okeechobee.

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€450,000

Dutch gaming authority, the Kansspelautoriteit, has issued a €450,000 fine to the Gibraltar-based Onisac Limited, the company behind casino.com.

The penalty has been compiled in numerous parts. Two €200,000 fines have been issued to the operator after it was found to be offering online games of chance.

The operator has previously been sanctioned by the gaming authority in 2013, making the current infraction the second case of breaching gaming legislation.

Dutch law states that online games of chance are only permitted if a licence is granted, however the current Betting and Gaming Act offers no possibility for this.

35

Swedish casino content developer Quickspin, a Playtech group company, has been given the nod for 35 of its online slots to be offered in its native Sweden.

In a statement, the developer confirmed that it was now all systems go in the recently re-launched regulated Swedish market. “We’re super happy to announce that we have 35 games that are now officially certified for the Swedish market,” the supplier said.

“Our games have been compliant from the 1st of January this year, in line with the regulations set by the Swedish Gambling Authority, but it’s with great pride that we can share the news that our games are now also officially certified.”

100,000

Hard Rock International is expanding its global gaming portfolio via a collaboration with Vici Properties to acquire the Jack Cincinnati Casino in Ohio.

The joint purchase sees Hard Rock acquire the operating assets of the casino – rebranding it Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati – while Vici will retain the land and real estate assets.

“Hard Rock has been the number-one operator in Ohio since opening in the greater Cleveland market in 2013,” said Jim Allen, chairman and CEO of Hard Rock International.

“And now, we look forward to introducing our unique brand of casino entertainment to Cincinnati. On behalf of the 40,000 Hard Rock team members worldwide, I am pleased to welcome the more than 1,000 Jack Cincinnati employees into the Hard Rock family.”

Jack Cincinnati offers 100,000 sq ft of gaming space with 1,800 gaming machines and 100 table games. Additionally, the property contains 33,000 sq ft of meeting space, six restaurants and two bars.

5

The London AIM-listed Stride Gaming, which operates a number of online bingo and casino brands, today warned that net gaming revenue for the six months to February 28 will be around five per cent lower than expected.

In a statement this morning, the company said: “The board expects to report NGR for the six-month period ended February 28, 2019, approximately five per cent lower than expected, reflecting greater disruption arising from fiscal and regulatory changes implemented in the second half of calendar year 2018.

“Positively, the board sees encouraging signs that the impact of these disruptive factors have now been largely absorbed and the business model is adjusting accordingly. Whilst the board does not expect to recover the first half revenue shortfall through trading in the second half, [it] is confident that its strategy of leveraging the group’s infrastructure and proprietary technology to migrate more mass market, recreational bingo and casino customers onto its higher margin proprietary platform is robust and will deliver strong, long-term, cash-backed value for shareholders.”

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Introducing a $700m expansion to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa, the Seminole Tribe of Florida is also on the home straight of its $1.5bn Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood development with a completion date set for later this month.

As part of the upgrades introduced to its Tampa Property the completed 223,900-square-foot casino includes an additional 1,000 slots and 41 table games throughout its new gaming spaces.

Bringing its total figures to 5,000 slots, 179 tables and a “state-of-the-art” poker room with 46 poker tables, a high floor of the new hotel tower is to also feature a private gaming parlour for VIP guests, with an exclusive check-in and private elevators.

Lauded as an “extensive renovation,” alongside its 14-story hotel tower, offering 562 rooms and suite, the firm has also introduced a number of relaxation opportunities for guests.

“Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa is already one of the largest and most profitable casinos in the United States,” commented Jim Allen, Hard Rock International chairman and CEO of Seminole Gaming.

“The expansion will increase entertainment and dining options, and help us attract guests from throughout the country and around the world.”

Among the festivities of the grand opening was Wallenda, along with his 66-year-old mother, Delilah, who took a high wire walk between the property’s two hotel towers.

“I’m honoured to be a part of such an iconic hotel and casino transformation here in Florida,” added Nik Wallenda. “This is my first time executing a high wire walk in Tampa and it is an absolute honour to experience this monumental moment with my mother during her final walk.”

Later this month the firm will be debuting its $1.5bn Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood, complete with the world’s first guitar hotel and casino complex, which stretches up 450 feet, gets set to debut on Thursday 24 October.

Featuring a guitar tower that boasts 1,271 guest suites and six illuminated guitar strings on each side, the integrated resort is to also contain an expanded casino floor of 195,000 square feet that includes more than 200 table games.

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Through the joint purchase Hard Rock acquired the operating assets of the casino, with Vici gaining the casino-entitled land and real estate and related assets of the property, located in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, for approximately $558m in cash.

Simultaneous with the closing of the transaction Vici entered into a triple-net lease agreement with HRI, encapsulating a total annual rent of $42.75m and an initial term of 15 years, with four 5-year tenant renewal options.

“We are thrilled to close the Jack Cincinnati transaction, diversifying our geographic exposure by acquiring one of only four full-scale casino properties in the limited license state of Ohio, which continues to be one of the healthiest and fastest growing regional gaming markets across the country,” noted John Payne, president and COO of Vici Properties. 

“This acquisition adds 22 acres of high-quality urban core real estate to our portfolio, and formally establishes our third tenant relationship through a long-term partnership with Hard Rock, an international leader in gaming, entertainment and hospitality experiences.”

The casino will continue to operate under the current branding, Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati will rebrand and open in spring 2020.

The property is situated on 22 acres of downtown Cincinnati and features 100,000 square feet of gaming space with approximately 1,800 gaming machines and 100 table games. 

Additionally, the entity contains 33,000 square feet of meeting space as well as six restaurants and two bars. New property improvements will be announced by Hard Rock at a later date.  

“We look forward to offering our world-class experience to guests in the region, building upon our success in the greater Cleveland area,” stated Jim Allen, chairman and CEO of Hard Rock International. “On behalf of more than 45,000 employees worldwide, we welcome over 1,000 former Jack employees into our Hard Rock family.”

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Publicly declaring its interest last week, it follows the lead of Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment who has partnered with local contractor GEK Terna, ahead of a deadline for bids on September 30.

The casino property is to form one part of Lamda Development‘s wider €8bn Hellinikon Project, being developed on the site of the old Ellinikon International Airport which has sat empty for 18 years after being replaced by the new Athens entity.

Speaking to the Kathimerini newspaper, Jim Allen, chairman and CEO of Hard Rock International, explained: “At Elliniko, we want to develop an integrated tourism and entertainment complex that is much more than just a box with slot machines and gaming tables. Entertainment is at the heart of our philosophy, and entertainment means hospitality and music and events and unique experiences and much, much more. 

“Last year, we held over 35,000 events throughout the world, and we will create events like these, with world-class, high-recognition artists – and much more – here as well. So it’s a good thing there is provision for the construction of spaces for events like these.

“That’s the difference between us and other candidates and groups abroad, our focus is more on entertainment than gaming. We are active in 74 countries, with 12 casinos and 27 hotels.”

The casino, being lauded as Europe’s first integrated casino resort and the first Hellinikon investment, will include gaming-integrated hotels, convention facilities, entertainment shows, theme parks, luxury retail and fine dining, and is set to occupy approximately 15,000 square metres of the 6,200,000 square metre Hellinikon Project.

The wider multi-faceted construction is also slated to incorporate a metropolitan park, shops, offices, sports and conference facilities, luxury hotels, museums, malls, cultural venues, health centres, educational and research facilities and a marina.

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The move follows Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment, believed to be the front runner, commenting on its interest to operate a casino that forms part of the extensive complex.

Subsequently, HRI has announced the company’s participation in the Greek Government’s request for proposal process to issue a licence for the integrated resort and casino at the former Hellinikon Airport site in the city of Athens.

This follows over a year and a half of work on the project and, if awarded, construction is estimated to take 24-26 months.

Furthermore, the firm also revealed two donations from Greek music artists to Hard Rock’s extensive music memorabilia collection, firstly from singer and songwriter Giorgos Seferis, before Grigoris Bithikotsis contributed three pieces that pay homage to the country’s musical heritage

During a press conference at the company’s Hard Rock Cafe in Athens, Jim Allen, chairman and CEO of Hard Rock International, shared the company’s vision for Hellinikon: “We have always believed Athens to be one of the world’s great gateway cities, and Hard Rock International envisions creating a must see destination that will help draw from the over 120m annual guests across 74 countries, driving year-round tourism and being an economic driver for Greece.  

“This marks another step in the company’s efforts to expand our world-class brand of entertainment and hospitality to Europe.  

“This announcement continues to illustrate Hard Rock’s commitment to Greece and the great city of Athens, following our investment in the company owned Athens Cafe when no one else was investing during the financial crisis in 2014.”

The casino, being lauded as Europe’s first integrated casino resort and the first Hellinikon investment, will include gaming-integrated hotels, convention facilities, entertainment shows, theme parks, luxury retail and fine dining, and is set to occupy approximately 15,000 square metres of the 6,200,000 square metre Hellinikon Project.

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Jim Allen, HRI chairman and Seminole Gaming CEO, has previously stressed that once complete the property “will put South Florida on the map as a world-class gaming destination” and “the gaming industry will never be the same”.

And despite some initial scepticism a similar design was also unveiled when the firm released a full scale model of its proposed integrated resort on Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, earlier in the year, as the race to secure one of three IR licences heats up.

With recent news stating that hotel rooms quickly sold out for the Thursday 24 October debut, Bo Guidry, president at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood, has touched upon how the unique shape has been received and if this could be a much more prominent feature of further future properties: “Everyone I meet is in awe of this architectural marvel. 

“As the construction progressed and the shape of the building became more prominent, it really became a point of pride for the community and our employees. 

“The addition of this $1.5bn integrated resort raises the bar substantially on every front“

“It’s certainly a topic of conversation for everyone who has seen it from the highway and when flying into the Fort Lauderdale airport. As the first building of its kind, it is really capturing the imagination of a number of people from around the globe. Wouldn’t every city want such an iconic structure?”

The economic impact to be felt on the South Florida region has also been a crucial plus point reemphasised throughout numerous stages of the three year journey, lauded as “huge” by Allen earlier this year.

Guidry is in an understandably similar upbeat mood when addressing the impact the entity will have as completion edges ever closer: “This incredible project is slated for an October 24th grand opening. Since the groundbreaking about three years ago, the anticipation has been building for this monumental expansion,” he explains. 

“The architectural and engineering masterpiece of the guitar hotel alone and the fabulous amenities that will open in tandem with the new hotel towers, create a dynamic and exciting destination that will attract new visitors from across the country as well as internationally. 

“It also allows our local customers to discover new exciting spaces to be entertained. The expansion will generate over 1600 new jobs and drive economic development and business growth throughout the region. 

“This destination will be in a class of its own“

“The construction site averages about 2,000 workers per day, so over the lifetime of the project the total number of jobs in that area is certainly significant.”

Competing in a bustling region of the United States that has a plethora of alternative options, Guidry concludes by justifying exactly why Hard Rock Hollywood is primed for maximum success, and why Allen was correct in his previous future predictions: “South Florida already has a lot to offer as a destination – a beautiful location known for its pristine beaches, coastal lifestyle, exceptional dining and a world-renowned nightlife scene. The addition of this $1.5bn integrated resort raises the bar substantially on every front. 

“We are offering luxurious accommodations encompassing everything from plush suites overlooking our legendary lagoon pool to exclusive suites with private pools and patios. We don’t have to compete with the beach — our guests will be able to access their very own beach area, complete with lounge chairs and personalised cocktail service and a 13.5 acre water feature that will offer everything from paddleboards to kayaks. 

“The new Hard Rock live entertainment venue will feature A-list entertainment, comedy acts and sporting events. Our restaurants and nightlife featuring top level DJ’s will be off the charts, but the real differentiator will be the gaming options for our guests – upon completion we will offer 3,000 of the most popular slots, 193 table games and a brand new 45 table poker room.   

“Put all that together in one complex and you truly have an exceptional resort. This destination will be in a class of its own and builds the foundation for South Florida to emerge as a new hub for world-class gaming and entertainment.”

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Support has been issued to the project by The Kern County Board of Supervisors, reports the Bakersfield Californian, who unanimously voted 4-0 to approve a $218m deal with the tribe concerning public safety services to be provided to the venue over a 20-year period.

A part of this is a one-time payment of $13.3m that will see construction of a new fire station and law enforcement substation close to the resort, with over 20 new positions also set to be created across the police and fire departments.

Expected to come at a cost of $600m and requiring 1,000 construction jobs and creating 2,000 once complete, plans for the Hard Rock International managed entity are to contain a 165,000 square foot casino, 400 room hotel, 13 restaurants, an RV park, entertainment venue, spa fitness centre and convention space.

Prior to federal approval for the project being issued, the US Bureau of Indian Affairs is to develop a draft environmental impact report which is to be used to either issue recommendations to the US Department of Interior, or detail areas of concern.

Octavio Escobedo, Tejon Tribe chairman, is quoted as saying: “This is a truly historic day for the Tejon people. Everyone shares a vision of home ownership. This is our vision for a homeland.”

Jim Allen, chairman and CEO of Hard Rock International, stated when details of the project first came to light: “Hard Rock International is excited to partner with the Tejon Indian Tribe, assisting in the achievement of their long-term goals.

“We look forward to building a first-class project with the Tejon Indian Tribe that equals our hotel and casino projects across the world.”

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