Hard Rock hoping to bring its casino brand into Massachusetts

The firm first built their brand by creating a rock and roll atmosphere at their Hard Rock Resorts. Over the past couple of decades, the brand has moved more towards casino gambling, with mega resorts being built not only across the US, but also in other countries.

"It would be awesome if the Hard Rock built a casino here," said Marcy Bulger, a longtime Massachusetts resident. "I have been to the Hard Rock's in Las Vegas and Miami, and they are both sweet. My friends and I are hoping that this becomes a reality, because we loved the music inside the Hard Rock's we have been at, and the casinos were cool as well."

Hard Rock knew that they needed some local groups to get on board if they were going to have a chance to compete for a gaming license in Massachusetts. The company has announced a partnership with Paper City Development, with the hope of bringing a gaming facility to Holyoke, Paper City has already announced their intention of giving back some of the revenue from the new casino to the local community.

As for the Hard Rock, they have been known to spare no expense when building their casino resorts. The company has expressed the willingness to do the same in Massachusetts, and executives believe that the Massachusetts resort could become one of the top casinos in the Northeast. "We are planning a state-of-the-art facility with a wide range of non-gaming amenities that will provide a world-class entertainment experience unique to the region," said Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock.

Massachusetts lawmakers have worked for the past several years to create a bill to bring casinos to the state. Governor Deval Patrick ran his campaign around the promise of casino resorts, and after several failed attempts, Patrick finally delivered on his promise earlier this fall when the Senate and House both passed their own version of the casino resort bill. Lawmakers will spend some time reconciling the two bills, before a final version is drafted.