Jim Allen is a gaming and hospitality industry veteran with over 40 years of experience and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Seminole Gaming, Chairman of Hard Rock International, Hard Rock Digital, and recently served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Gaming Association, the gaming industry’s premier trade group with membership representing every corner of the gaming industry.
Responsible for all gaming, hospitality and entertainment operations at the Seminole Tribe of Florida since 2001, Allen has guided the development of Seminole Gaming into one of the world’s most successful casino and integrated resort operators, with seven casino locations throughout Florida, including the world’s first Guitar Hotel, which opened in October, 2019.
Allen led the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s 2007 acquisition of Hard Rock International (HRI), the first acquisition of a major international company by a North American Indian Tribe. As Chairman of Hard Rock International, Allen oversees all operations of one of the most globally recognized brands, known for its unique intersection of music, celebrity and philanthropy. Since the 2007 purchase, Hard Rock has expanded its global presence from 46 to over 70 countries and over 300 locations including Hard Rock cafes, hotels, casinos, Rock Shops and Hard Rock Live music venues.
Under Allen’s leadership, Seminole Hard Rock and Hard Rock International have demonstrated unparalleled hospitality and financial leadership. Seminole Gaming is the only gaming entertainment company to maintain investment grade ratings from all three rating agencies – Moody’s, Fitch, Standard & Poor’s -- for 15 years. In 2021 Seminole Hard Rock became the first private gaming entertainment company designated a U.S. Best Managed Company by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal and won the honor again in 2022 and 2023. In 2023, Hard Rock was honored by Forbes as one of 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. Hard Rock has been the top performing hotel brand in J.D. Power’s North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study for the fourth year. In addition, Seminole Hard Rock was named the top “Employer of Choice” in a survey of gaming industry executives conducted by Bristol Associates Inc. and Spectrum Gaming Group. It has earned the survey’s top ranking for six of the past seven years. In the 2022 Global Gaming Awards, Hard Rock won the Land-Based Operator of the Year Award. Hard Rock and Seminole Hard Rock have earned the Land-Based Operator of the Year Award designation three times in the past six years.
Recently, Allen has expanded the company’s entertainment offerings to include sports. In 2020, Allen launched the joint venture Hard Rock Digital, an online sportsbook, retail sportsbook and internet gaming platform. Hard Rock recently partnered with the Miami Dolphins ownership to brand Hard Rock Stadium and become the first casino brand to achieve NFL stadium naming rights based on Hard Rock’s perception as a hospitality and entertainment company versus just a casino company. Hard Rock is a founding partner with F1 Miami and F1 Las Vegas, a Sponsor of Oracle Red Bull Racing, a strategic partner of Lionel Messi and many other professional sports teams and personalities.
A former member of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission Task Force on Gaming Regulation, Allen has lectured on countless casino industry topics at many professional conferences, governmental programs and college campuses, including the New Jersey Governor’s Business Development Conference and both Harvard and Cornell Universities. He makes frequent appearances on CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox Business and other national and international financial news networks. The National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC) recognized Allen as a 2023 Unity Gala Honoree for his exceptional service to MWBE contractors. Junior Achievement of South Florida named Allen a Business Hall of Fame Laureate in 2019. That was followed in 2020 with Allen being inducted into the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship’s Entrepreneur and Business Hall of Fame at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Fla.
Allen resides in South Florida with his wife Shelly.
