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Hate it or love it, but getting in favor with politicians has long been one of the best ways to influence policy. It’s the classic “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” In such cases, a company typically donates money to a politician, and in turn, that politician makes life easy for that company.
This has gone into hyperdrive with Donald Trump and his administration. That’s not us being partisan either; it’s just the reality. Trump and his inner orbit can be had for the right price.
That’s why it was interesting to see the list of donors for Trump’s brand-new ballroom. The White House is adding a $300 million ballroom in place of the East Wing (which traditionally houses the office of the First Lady) that will host parties and events.
Though, the money is strictly coming from private donors — not public taxpayers. Just recently, the administration released the 37 donors. It includes the likes of Amazon, Apple, Lockheed Martin, Howard Lutnick, and the Winklevoss twins, among others.
Plus, Hard Rock International. Of course, Hard Rock is owned by the Seminoles tribe. The company has a monopoly on Florida betting via physical casinos and its top betting app, but also offers gambling in several different parts of the country. This, however, is not the first time Trump and Hard Rock have been linked. Let’s dig into the two’s relationship, and possibly pinpoint what’s the larger play in all of this.
Hard Rock and Trump Have A Rocky History
Of all the ballroom donors, most of them came from the tech, defense, and crypto industries. Of course, right? These companies usually have the most money to work with.
But… it’s notable that Hard Rock was the ONLY true gambling company in the mix. Miriam Adelson — majority owner of The Sands casino empire — was also on the list, but on a personal level (she’s a mega pro-Israel donor), not the company. But back to Hard Rock, why are they donating? After all, legalized betting is still a small vertical compared to, say, tech.
But going deeper into the Trump-Hard Rock relationship, things start to make more sense. The two sides go back — and not necessarily in a warm-and-fuzzy way. Current Hard Rock CEO Jim Allen was once vice president of casino operations for the Trump Organization.
Moreover, at the start of Trump’s first presidency in 2017, Hard Rock scooped up Trump’s bankrupt Taj Mahal in Atlantic City for $50 million. Allen couldn’t wait to rip the Trump name off the building and replace it with the Hard Rock brand. Here’s an old quote of his, which isn’t exactly flattering of the Trump team:
“(His name) is everywhere. The amount of money we’re going to have to spend to remove all those minarets and all that purple. Jesus! What were we thinking?”
That building is now up and running as the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Atlantic City. We’ve never been, but judging from pictures and online reviews, it seems Hard Rock has put the building to good use. Now… will their ballroom donation do the same? We have theories on that in the next section.
What Could Hard Rock Want From Trump?
Here’s the million-dollar question (how much Hard Rock donated is not public, but it’s easily in the millions): what could they possibly want from the Trump administration right now?
Hard Rock’s parent tribe, the Seminoles, already controls Florida’s entire casino and sports betting ecosystem, but the battlefield they’re really eyeing is Washington. Trump’s administration hasn’t exactly been a friend to tribal gaming. Several proposed developments have stalled out since he took office, and many tribal groups — including the Indian Gaming Association — have been openly critical of his policies.
That ballroom donation looks a lot less like a “gift” and more like a peace offering. Remember, Hard Rock is the largest tribal-owned gaming company in America. Getting on Trump’s good side could soften resistance from federal agencies or regulators that still have the power to make life difficult for tribal enterprises.
Then there’s the home-state angle. Florida law says any gambling expansion has to go through a constitutional amendment, and those are brutally hard to pass — you need 60 percent voter approval. The Seminoles’ monopoly depends on keeping it that way. A new state law, HB 1205, makes petition gathering harder for outside interests, tightening the chokehold even more. If Trump’s team or his allies ever get involved in Florida’s political machinery again (remember, he’s a Florida resident now, not New York anymore), it wouldn’t hurt Hard Rock to have a few chips already on the table
So, yeah — the million-dollar ballroom donation might sound nice on paper, but the real game isn’t happening in a banquet hall. It’s happening in Tallahassee and D.C. — where Hard Rock’s long-term dominance depends on political protection as much as market share.
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