Hard Rock Got Itself a London Casino License

Article by : Helen Jan 21, 2021

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Updated: Dec 21, 2021

Hard Rock International doesn’t let the pandemic slow them down. While most other businesses – both in the casino industry and not – struggle to keep their heads above the water, Hard Rock keeps up their expansion strategy to enhance the brand’s presence in “major gateway cities around the world.”

London turned to be Hard Rock’s most recent target for expansion. On January 14, the world-renowned hotel, casino, and café operator announced that the casino license that used to belong to the Ritz Club in the UK capital is now the property of Hard Rock, allowing the company “to seek out and establish a new casino premise in London.”

We look forward to expanding our brand offerings within London and bringing our award-winning hospitality, gaming, and entertainment to the birthplace of Hard Rock.

The Ritz Club announced it was closing its doors permanently in June last year, after suspending its operations in March before the nationwide lockdown started. However, the pandemic was nothing more than a final shot for an already sick dog: the prestigious casino venue hadn’t made a profit since 2016, according to the Daily Mail. There are no details yet on what exactly Hard Rock is going to do with the newly acquired license or where the new casino venue will be located.

It is also unclear to what extent the pandemic will get in the way of Hard Rock’s ambitious plans laid out for themselves. After all, the UK is currently undergoing its third harsh lockdown – it was introduced in December last year, days before Christmas, amidst the discovery of a new variant of COVID-19, which could be more contagious than the initial one. All non-essential are businesses remain shut down, and that includes casinos, too.

For now, the UK is tentatively hoping to reopen its economy in March, but there is hardly any guarantee everything will play out according to the British government’s hopes. But even as the pandemic rages worldwide, Hard Rock opened their venues’ doors wherever possible. For instance, the company’s Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood is hosting the World Poker Tour’s 2021 Lucky Hearts Open between January 22 and 26. This is going to be the first in-person World Poker Tour event since March 2020.

While wearing masks is obligatory and players are divided by Plexiglas barriers, the casino venue still received some backlash from the media and safety concerns from its regulars. As Sun Sentinel put it, “putting hundreds of people from around the country in a single room for six hours as a mutating virus infects more than 16,000 Floridians a day doesn’t seem like a winning strategy to everyone”.

Hard Rock has also recently announced the official launch of its Hard Rock Digital joint venture. The venture will focus on the online sportsbook, retail sportsbook, and internet gaming worldwide. “With the launch of Hard Rock Digital, we are broadening our digital business, which enhances consumer experiences and offerings across our interactive gaming and sportsbook offerings,” said Jim Allen, Chairman of HRI. “Hard Rock Digital also intends to pursue strategic branding and distribution opportunities both within the U.S. and globally. In the U.S. alone, the potential future market size is estimated at $7 billion for sports betting and $14 billion for online gaming.”