Hard Rock chairman outlines sports betting plans

Speaking to reporters at the lavish opening of Hard Rock International’s new Atlantic City casino this week, chairman Jim Allen laid industry speculation to rest by revealing that sports betting, both land and online, is very much part of the company’s plans.

There have been reports that Hard Rock’s commercial connections with the NFL could prove an obstacle to this, but here’s what Allen reportedly had to say at a press conference:

“I know we have had quite a few questions over the last month or so in regards to our ability to offer a sportsbook and the answer is “yes.” The media is probably aware that we are involved in the now world-famous Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida. We are the host of the 100-year anniversary of the NFL and the 2020 Super Bowl.

“The events there have exceeded even our expectations. But there are some restrictions in our agreement which we want to comply with in accordance with our relationship with Stephen Ross, the Miami Dolphins and obviously the NFL.

“So we will not be able to set the bet, but we certainly are able to partner with other companies, which frankly is most of the models where you partner with say a provider or a platform provider, and that will be our goal for Atlantic City.”

Allen went on to assert that his company’s Atlantic City operations would also offer online sports betting , although he could not put a timeframe on that possibility. He said that Hard Rock will work within the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement guidelines, probably with a focus on the mobile sector of the market.

“Nobody has that technology approved yet by the DGE,” Allen said. “We are in that process so we’ll be making some announcements in the next 30 or 60 days as far as how we are going to do that. That means Hard Rock could be up and running by the time football season rolls around. We still don’t know who Hard Rock’s sports betting partner(s) will be, of course.”

As reported earlier Friday, Hard Rock’s online casino went live this week in a soft launch, powered by Gaming Innovation Group.