HOLLYWOOD, Fla., February 15, 2023/ Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming today announced the release of its 2023 Corporate Social Responsibility Report: Fifty Years Forward. Social purpose has propelled Hard Rock since its inception in 1971, guided by its founding mottos: Love All-Serve All, All Is One, Save The Planet, and Take Time To Be Kind.
“Our brand mottos have shaped who we are as a brand for the past 50 years while setting the foundation of our future,” said Paul Pellizzari, Vice President of Global Social Responsibility at Hard Rock International. “Today, Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming operate 250+ cafes, hotels and casinos spanning 67 countries and with that comes a responsibility to support local communities all over the world. We honor this commitment by making strides to benchmark, evaluate and plan a brighter future for all.”
This report reflects Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming’s progress towards the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which call for action to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs, while tackling climate change and environmental protection.
Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming have established a multi-pronged approach to continue investing in five crucial areas:
Community Impact & Corporate Giving
Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming have invested locally, nationally and globally across causes that matter most to the communities they operate in. Priorities, such as hunger relief, cancer prevention, diversity equity & inclusion, human trafficking prevention, children’s hospice care, socioeconomic conditions and inspiring people’s connection to music, are championed in a multitude of ways:
- The annual PINKTOBER campaign has raised more than $11 million dollars for breast cancer awareness and education to date from its inception in 2000.
- In partnership with WhyHunger, Hard Rock has raised $6.8 million to date to combat global hunger and poverty and has provided 9.8 million meals to 120,600 children and their families in 31 countries.
- Team members across Seminole Gaming casinos, as well as Hard Rock casinos, hotels, and cafe locations have raised $9 million to support local community needs.
- As part of its philanthropic arm, Hard Rock Heals contributed more than $1.8 million to support music-based programs and partnerships around the world.
Team Members, Culture & DEI
- Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming continue a tradition of inclusion by building upon equitable policies, programs and practices aimed at maintaining and attracting diverse talent, cultivating a culture of inclusion, and setting a standard for equitable and responsible practices within the industry.
- The Seminole & Hard Rock Women in Leadership program has been working to increase women’s representation within leadership roles, currently exceeding the industry standard of 22%.
- Seminole Tribal Members are invited to participate in a Tribal Career Development Program designed to build business skills, develop leadership capabilities and give Tribal Members access to senior leaders.
- Team Member Resource Groups, spanning 11 different identifiers such as caregivers, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+, as well as cultural identifiers, foster a sense of belonging and inclusion that can spark innovation and accelerate employee development.
- Hard Rock was recognized by Forbes as an employer of choice in the following categories for 2022: World’s Best Employers, The Best Employers for New Grads, The Best Employers for Women, The Best Employers for Diversity, America’s Best Large Employers, America’s Best-in-State Employers and Mexico’s Best Employers.
Social Safeguards & Responsible Gambling
Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming are committed to supporting at-risk team members and valued community members by addressing issues that are prevalent within the industry.
- Hard Rock’s proprietary responsible gaming program, PlayersEdge, educates players on healthy play habits and support resources by training team members to refer at-risk players to professional help. To date, 18,234 team members were trained on PlayersEdge online, with 92% reporting an improved knowledge or skill.
- One measurable outcome of the introduction of PlayersEdge to casinos: a 10% increase in calls to the Florida problem gambling helpline.
- The Hard Rock Social Identity Quest education program was adopted and taught by 60,000 teachers in 45 U.S. States, reaching 1.2 million high school students, 8% of the student population.
- A formal evaluation revealed a 13% increase in learning objectives, demonstrating positive outcomes for online safety literacy.
- To prevent and raise awareness of human trafficking, Hard Rock International signed the ECPAT Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct, the world’s first and only voluntary set of business principles to prevent sexual exploitation and trafficking of children. Hard Rock also launched Social Identity Quest (SIQ), an educational program to help prevent the risk of teenagers being lured online.
Economic Development
Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of disadvantaged and indigenous-owned businesses.
- Since 2011, nearly 30% on average of Seminole Gaming’s annual purchases have come from Tribal-owned or affiliated vendors.
- On a global scale, more than 15,000 jobs have been created in communities hosting new hotels, casinos and casino-hotels around the world since 2018.
- We support local Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), spending $26 million in annual purchases from Minority Business Enterprise, Women Business Enterprise, Veteran Business Enterprise, and Disabled Business Enterprise, and assist further by helping them grow knowledge, expertise, while further developing products and services.
Environmental Sustainability
Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming are growing efforts to sustainably address waste, energy and water by driving operational improvements, engaging non-profit partners and pursuing best practice collaborations with vendors.
- Eighty-three percent of properties globally have implemented efficiency technologies, such as auto-sensors, reduced flow faucets, two-flow toilets and efficient laundry machines.
- Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming’s participation in Clean the World’s Hospitality Recycling program diverted 13,660 pounds of plastic waste and distributed approximately 66,370 bars/soap and 10,339 pounds of leftover soap through Hygiene Kits used in shelters, food pantries and disaster recovery organizations in the United States to date.
- As part of an ongoing partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and annual participation in Earth Hour, Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming properties “go dark” by switching off lights to build awareness for climate change action each year. To date, 114 properties have participated and 603,00+KW has been saved.
Click here for the full report. For more information on social responsibility goals for Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming, please visit: https://www.hardrock.com/living-our-mottos.aspx
About Hard Rock®:
Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most globally recognized companies with venues in over 70 countries spanning 265 locations that include owned/licensed or managed Rock Shops®, Live Performance Venues and Cafes. HRI also launched a joint venture named Hard Rock Digital in 2020, an online sportsbook, retail sportsbook and internet gaming platform. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world’s largest and most valuable collection of authentic music memorabilia at more than 86,000 pieces, which are displayed at its locations around the globe. In 2022, Hard Rock Hotels was honored as the number one brand in Outstanding Guest Satisfaction for the second year in a row among Upper Upscale Hotels in J.D. Power’s North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study. This designation is the fourth consecutive year the iconic brand has been among top brands in this category. HRI is the first privately-owned gaming company designated U.S. Best Managed Company by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal for the second year. Hard Rock was also honored by Forbes among the World’s Best Employers, as well as Best Employers for Women, Diversity and New Grads and a Top Large Employer in the Travel & Leisure, Gaming, and Entertainment Industry. In the 2022 Global Gaming Awards, Hard Rock was named Land-Based Operator of the Year for the second time in four years. In 2021, Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos received first place ranking in the Casino Gaming Executive Satisfaction Survey conducted by Bristol Associates Inc. and Spectrum Gaming Group for six of the last seven years. Hard Rock International currently holds investment grades from primary investment rating agencies: S&P Global Ratings (BBB) and Fitch Ratings (BBB). For more information on Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com or shop.hardrock.com.
About Seminole Gaming:
Seminole Gaming manages six Florida casinos for the Seminole Tribe of Florida, including the Seminole Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood, Fla. Seminole Gaming has long been recognized for its industry innovations and success. It was the first Indian Tribe in North America to open a high-stakes bingo hall and casino, which debuted in 1979 and became the forerunner of the Indian Gaming movement. Seminole Gaming is currently the only gaming company to have an investment grade rating from all three primary investment rating agencies: S&P Global Ratings (BBB), Moody’s (Baa2) and Fitch Ratings (BBB).
