With advertising that shouts “$12.9 million Paid Out Daily – Did You Get Your Share?” it is obvious that the Hard Rock Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood are making money. These Florida Seminole Indian/Hard Rock enterprises may only have authorization for Class II machines with limited wagers and payouts, and not the fully-fledged Class III Las Vegas machines, but neither the people playing nor the profits being made would seem to suggest that it really matters.

Open all day every day, the car parks are usually overflowing and the sound of machines in play can be deafening. Hollywood is the larger operation with around 130,000 sq ft of gaming floor and over 2,100 machines and 50 live poker tables, compared to 90,000 sq ft in Tampa, 1850 machines and 50 poker tables, but Tampa boasts the payout of a daily $7 million. In the month of February, patrons of the two casinos and a bingo hall spent $75.8 million, which reportedly gave the tribe $21.4 million. Revenues are expected to reach over a billion dollars this year, and the money the slot machines make rivals any Las Vegas operation.

The Florida legislature has so far failed to arrive at agreement over licensing slot machines at the four pari-mutuels in Broward County. The only thing that seems certain is that the taxation level on revenues will be high. The argument over whether the machines will be Class III or Class II may well be decided through the courts. If Class III is the winner then the Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes can negotiate to compete on equal terms. The word is that they are “waiting for the dust to settle” and will see what the outcome is between the pari-mutuel industry and the state.

Having visited the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa this weekend and seen a vibrant operation with all ages of players, hen parties, birthday parties, couples and families (the latter only in the restaurants), it would seem that the Seminole tribe and Hard Rock - a Rank PLC business division – need be in no particular hurry to upgrade to Class III machines. (E-05.16.05)

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