For this month’s edition of Industry Insiders, we spoke with G2E 2021 keynote presenter Jim Allen, chairman, Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming, to discuss how his company is handling pandemic recovery, the newest areas of growth in gaming, and what he’s most looking forward to at G2E 2021.
We’re excited to have you participate in a keynote at G2E 2021 with other gaming leaders to discuss the pandemic’s impact on the industry, how recovery is going, and the future of the industry. Tell us what you’re most excited about as you envision the future of the gaming industry and your company’s role within it.
Hard Rock continues to push into new U.S. gaming markets and outperform expectations, thanks to the wide appeal of the Hard Rock brand and a constant focus on customer service by our management and frontline team members. We’re off to a great start at the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, which opened this summer. Our newest casinos—the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain and the Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati—are seeing strong results, despite the pandemic. Our Seminole Gaming operations in Florida, including our two flagship Hard Rock hotel-casino complexes, consistently beat budget estimates. Clearly, our industry-leading Safe + Sound Program has given our players the confidence to come back faster than we anticipated; they tell us they feel comfortable at all of our gaming venues.
This past year and a half has pushed the gaming industry to explore new ways to do business. How has your company adapted and what trends are you seeing during this transformation?
The challenges of 2020 and 2021 have forced everyone in the gaming industry to adapt to rapidly changing market conditions, including serious concerns over finding and retaining team members at every level. We worked hard to help our employees throughout the pandemic by keeping them on the payroll as long as possible, by continuing to pay health insurance premiums and even by distributing grocery store gift cards to team members earning less than $50,000 per year. That loyalty to our team members paid itself back to us many times over by reducing employee attrition and improving our recruiting results. This emphasis on team member satisfaction is not going away; it is one trend that will be even more important in future years.
There are quite a few new sectors and technologies shaping the gaming industry—iGaming, payments modernization, sports betting etc. Where do you see current opportunities for growth?
The landmark Gaming Compact between the Seminole Tribe and the State of Florida will clearly shape the future of the gaming industry, since it recognizes the legality of sports betting anywhere in Florida when the transactions occur via computer servers located on Seminole Reservation land. We’re gearing up for the launch of sports betting in Florida this fall through our new joint venture company, Hard Rock Digital. The team being assembled are all star performers, who will bring state-of-the-art technology to the launch of sports betting in Florida and beyond.
What is some advice you have for those who are interested in starting or growing their careers in the gaming industry?
As noted in the reference to our current recruiting for the new team at Hard Rock Digital, tech professionals are already in high demand and will be even more sought after in the years to come. That, coupled with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) knowledge and skills to ensure that customer service is always a top priority, would be the two areas I would recommend for young people eager to get a strong start in the gaming industry.
G2E is the launching point for innovation and technology. What trends are you most excited to see come out of this year’s event?
Like everyone who comes to Las Vegas, we will be looking for new ideas and tools to improve productivity and maximize financial results. That’s why G2E and the American Gaming Association are so important to this industry. This show is the place where the future of gaming is literally on display, today.