The company behind Hard Rock Cafe is looking to set up hotels across Asia, betting that people will find rooms with rock-and-roll-themed interiors attractive despite the global recession. Hard Rock International Inc - which owns 124 Hard Rock Cafes and nine Hard Rock Hotels around the world - will open new hotels in Macau and Malaysia this year...

Kansas Entertainment, a partnership between Kansas Speedway and principals of Baltimore-based The Cordish Company, resubmitted a bid yesterday for a Hard Rock Casino overlooking Turn 2 at Kansas Speedway.

The operator of the Seminole Tribe’s Hard Rock hotels and casinos told a House committee Monday that the state can immediately use USD 288 million and will soon have another 45,000 jobs if the gambling agreement Gov. Charlie Crist signed with the tribe stays in place. James Allen, the Seminole Gaming CEO and chairman of Seminole Hard Rock International, told a House committee on Monday...

Tulsa, Oklahoma (AP) - The Cherokee Nation is planning to brand its expanded 19-story hotel and casino near Tulsa as the Hard Rock Casino Tulsa. Cherokee Nation Enterprises announced the license agreement with Hard Rock Hotel Holdings. The agreement still must be approved by the National Indian Gaming Commission. As part of the Hard Rock brand, the new resort will include the traditional Hard Rock decor, memorabilia and merchandise...

Tampa - Seminole Hard Rock Casino & Hotel patrons got a big surprise Thursday when the Seminole Tribe of Florida opened 104 tables for blackjack and baccarat games at 5 a.m. So, too, did state officials. Conservative lawmakers have tried to use the courts to block additional gambling on tribal property, and a spokesman for Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum said that office did not know blackjack and other gambling games would begin Thursday.

Coast casinos' move onshore after Hurricane Katrina spared them from serious damage during Hurricane Gustav. Mississippi Gaming Commission Executive Director Larry Gregory is receiving reports from each of the 11 casinos and will make the decision to reopen when it is safe. Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi got about two feet of water in the swimming pool and in the lobby, said General Manager Duncan McKenzie.

The Florida Supreme Court struck down the gaming compact signed by Governor Charlie Crist and the Seminole Tribe, throwing into question the table game operations the tribe opened at its casinos only a few weeks ago. The high court, ruling in a lawsuit brought by a state lawmaker, held that Crist overstepped his authority by authorizing the tribe to conduct banked table games including blackjack and baccarat, in addition to the Class III slots to which it was entitled.

Tallahassee, Florida - A South Florida casino wants a federal judge to stop blackjack and other games at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Lawyers for Isle Casino of Pompano Beach cited last week's Florida Supreme Court ruling that declared unconstitutional the tribe's recent gambling agreement with the state. The filing Monday is part of an ongoing lawsuit filed in federal court in Tallahassee challenging that agreement.

Hollywood, Florida - Purse in hand and eyeglasses on, 80-year-old Ruth Spivak stood behind a velvet rope just steps away from the bright lights, musical chiming and big jackpots. Las Vegas-style slot machines have come to Florida, and Spivak was one of hundreds who showed up Monday to feed dollar bills or casino debit cards into the 800 new machines at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Hollywood - They didn't get this far without a little gamble in them. The Seminole Tribe, which defeated the state and federal governments in court three decades ago to usher in the Indian casino era, said Thursday it will immediately install Las Vegas-style machines at its Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood. The games go public Monday, just two days before a crucial Supreme Court hearing on whether a deal approving the new games is even legal.