As far as casinos go, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood is fantastic. Its guitar-shaped architecture cuts into the South Florida skyline like a magnificent monolith.
The Hard Rock Live theater is just as striking as an entertainment venue. Pollstar Magazine recently ranked the theater third in ticket sales for worldwide theatre venues in 2021.
In addition to rising ticket sales for the theatre, the Seminole Tribe continues to move the needle and launched sports betting in Florida on Nov. 1 with an online sportsbook.
Hard Rock Hollywood is a flagship amid network of tribal casinos
The Hard Rock Live theater is part of a larger picture for success at the Hollywood casino and hotel.
The casino holds 3,000 slots, more than three times the number of machines at sister property Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa.
The Seminole Hard Rock casinos provide significant economic growth within the Florida gambling landscape.
According to the American Gaming Association (AGA), the Hollywood property is part of a network of seven Seminole casinos that provide a $6.15 billion economic impact, generating more than $1 billion in tax revenue. Additionally, Seminole casinos support nearly 46,000 jobs.
The tribal casinos generated $2.56 billion in gross gaming revenue, per the latest revenue numbers available through the AGA.
By comparison, the state’s non-tribal (“commercial”) casinos generate $420 million in tax revenue and provide an economic impact of $1.34 billion. They create about a third of the jobs the Seminole’s properties do. Florida’s commercial casinos generated about $341 million in gross gaming revenue in 2020, according to the AGA.
Hard Rock Live Hollywood sells more than $20 million in tickets
Pollstar releases end-of-the-year rankings based on a variety of entertainment-related metrics, including a list of the top 200 theaters in the world by ticket sales.
In 2021, the Ryan Auditorium in Nashville ranked first in ticket sales, with more than 185,000 sold. Atlanta’s Fox Theater ranked second with more than 183,000 sold, and Hard Rock Live in Florida ranked third with nearly 163,000 tickets sold. The Hollywood venue was the only FL theater in the top 15.
Pollstar also included gross revenue from ticket sales. Hard Rock Live Hollywood finished third in that category, too:
- Park Theater at Park MGM Las Vegas: $35.4 million
- Fox Theater, Atlanta: $22.9 million
- Hard Rock Live Hollywood: $20.2 million
The theater was one of only five to gross more than $10 million in 2021.
Legendary acts highlight the 2021-2022 concert schedule
The Hard Rock Live is a 7,000-person entertainment venue built under a $1.5 billion expansion on the property in 2019. It is one of two Hard Rock Live venues in Florida (the other is in Orlando) and one of five in the US.
Numerous renowned musicians and comics performed at the venue in 2021, including:
- Eric Clapton
- Dave Chappelle
- Metallica
- Gun N’ Roses.
- The 69th Annual Miss Universe
Upcoming 2022 shows include:
- Tim Allen
- 98 Degrees
- Billy Joel
- Gladys Knight
- Alicia Keys
Keith Sheldon, president of entertainment for Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming, said in a statement:
“As we reopened our doors to live events in 2021, we were thrilled to once again attract world-class entertainment and diverse audiences from around the globe at the flagship Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood.” “We are so appreciative of the artists and content providers who continue to support Hard Rock and especially grateful for our team members who helped to ensure exceptional experiences for all of our guests during unprecedented times.”
