Hard Rock chairman describes regional casino business as “pretty good”

Despite Covid-19 restrictions on Hard Rock properties, chairman Jim Allen is optimistic about the company’s future.

US.- Hard Rock International’s chairman Jim Allen has said that the company’s regional casinos business is “still pretty good” despite ongoing restrictions in place as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking to Yahoo!finance, he said: “We are starting to feel, in general, that there’s a little bit of optimism in the air.“

Allen cited Hard Rock’s Atlantic City property as one the highest-earning.

He said: “Generally, the regional casino business is still pretty good. When you ask about Atlantic City, we’re very fortunate. Frankly, we’ve seen double-digit growth since COVID obviously has hit all of us. And certainly, we never want to wish any bad luck on our competitors.

“But frankly, we’re the only property in town that’s actually experiencing growth.”

Hard Rock operates casinos in Florida, Nevada, New Jersey, Mississippi, California, Iowa, Ohio, and Oklahoma.

The chairman was also optimistic about the online casino business, which has been booming since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The company has formed a new entity, Rock Digital, in partnership with the former senior team of Stars Group.

Allen said: “We certainly think that there’s a business model out there that works on gaining market share.”

This month, the company announced that it would award bonuses to employees in at least two states to reward them for service during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hard Rock has been selected by Bristol City Council to develop and operate the future casino resort in Virginia.