- Hard Rock Digital has announced the launch of Hard Rock Sportsbook mobile app in Tennessee and Indiana.
- Hard Rock also has a retail sportsbook in Indiana at the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana.
- Hard Rock now offers sports betting in Arizona, Virginia, Indiana and Tennessee.
In one ‘fell swoop’ the Hard Rock Sportsbook mobile app has doubled their footprint by launching in Tennessee and Indiana. Actually, that’s technically not correct–for reasons that aren’t quite clear Hard Rock also offers mobile sports betting in New Jersey and Iowa, though not with the Hard Rock Sportsbook app. In New Jersey, sports bets can be placed in the Hard Rock Sports & Casino NJ app while in Iowa, bettors have to use the Hard Rock Sportsbook Iowa app. I get that they want to expose NJ players to the iGaming platform but why not integrate the Hard Rock Sportsbook app in Iowa?
Fortunately, I just have to report this–not make sense of it. The Hard Rock brand already has a presence in Indiana and Tennessee. In Indiana, they’ve got a ‘brick & mortar’ casino and retail sportsbook in the ‘garden spot of the state’ aka Gary, Indiana. Actually, Gary isn’t too far behind scenic West Memphis, Arkansas as one of the murder capitals of the world. In Tennessee, there’s three Hard Rock Cafe locations in Nashville, Memphis and Pigeon Forge. The press release announcing the launch also points out the existence of the Bristol Casino just across the Tennessee border in Virginia which eventually will become a Hard Rock branded location. For now, it’s a temporary casino in an abandoned Belk department store in a decrepit shopping mall.
Here’s some background on the Hard Rock Sportsbook app:
Hard Rock’s legendary entertainment serves as the foundation for the company’s mobile products, which are focused on making the legendary ‘Hard Rock experience’ available on the go, anytime, anywhere. In addition to an easy-to-use, frictionless experience, the Hard Rock Sportsbook app offers innovative promotions, fast deposits and withdrawals, and hundreds of games and props to bet each day along with same game parlays and prop parlays. Hard Rock Sportsbook has also introduced in-app streaming and the Mystery Wheel, a new interactive rewards experience where players can earn up to $5,000 in free bets.
The Hard Rock’s PR team is definitely earning their money by emphasizing that the Hard Rock’s entertainment is ‘legendary’ and, for that matter, the whole ‘Hard Rock experience’ is also ‘legendary’. This might be as factually tenuous as Applebee’s promoting its ‘legacy of culinary excellence’ but at least their public relations professionals are earning their paycheck.
Marlon Goldstein, Executive Managing Director & CEO for Hard Rock Digital, had this quote about the dual state launch:
“We are excited to offer the legendary Hard Rock experience to our mobile sports betting players throughout Indiana and Tennessee. The successful debut of the Mystery Wheel is the latest example of the unique interactive experiences that can only be found at Hard Rock Sportsbook as well as our commitment to building the most entertaining app in the market.”
Good to see him stay ‘on message’ by also emphasizing the ‘legendary Hard Rock experience’. Yet another sign that the PR team is first rate. Look for the Hard Rock Sportsbook app to expand to additional states soon. No surprise that the press release includes a link to brand assets (in different formats, no less), making life easier for the American sporting and gaming media.
