Duane Kelloway, a resident of Spring Hill, recently won a luxury 2022 BMW X7 M50i, worth more than $112,000. The luxury car giveaway was part of the Tampa Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino event celebrating $1 billion in jackpots won at the casino. The Hard Rock expects to pay out another $1 billion by the end of 2021.
Kelloway, 50, a hospital nurse who treats COVID patients, was playing $3 on a Double Hit progressive slot machine manufactured by Ainsworth. He won $2,450 on that slot game, pushing the Hard Rock’s total 2021 slot payout to more than $1 billion. That milestone earned Kelloway a new, luxury BMW, in addition to his $2,450 win.
“I thought I was going to faint,” remarked Kelloway. “To be at the right place, at the right time, and at the right machine was just so lucky.”
Just Rewards for a Hard Working Nurse.
Kelloway works at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Lutz as an operating room nurse. However recently, he has been working in a COVID ward. His wife, Kelly, is also a nurse. They both decided on a weekend getaway to the Hard Rock Casino, driving there in a 2013 Ford Taurus with close to 200,000 miles.
“We were going to visit on Friday,” said Kelloway, “but Kelly talked me into going on Saturday instead”.
As part of the celebration, NFL Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks surprised Kelloway with the keys to the BMW.
Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa has given 360,000 jackpots to over 43,000 lucky winners so far in 2021; that’s equal to a jackpot paid out nearly every minute on the day.
“It’s definitely an exciting time for the Tampa casino and Seminole Gaming in general,” said the President of Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, Steve Bonner. “We’re thrilled to be able to create a lot of jackpot winners. We look forward to celebrating this milestone again later this year, with another big announcement.”
The celebration included every one of the more than 1,100 slot players who had their Seminole Wild Card inserted into a slot machine at the time of Kelloway’s big win each receiving $100 in Bonus Free Play.
About the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa is owned and operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The resort, just off I-4 at Hillsborough Avenue and North Orient Road, is only 10 minutes from downtown Tampa.
The Tampa resort casino is one of the world’s largest and most successful casinos, offering guests award-winning hospitality, gaming, and entertainment.
The Hard Rock Tampa casino floor is packed with nearly 5,000 slot machines, nearly 180 table games, and a 46 table, state-of-the-art Poker Room. The casino also offers a smoke-free casino on the Mezzanine Level.
The Hard Rock Hotel is rated by the AAA with Four Diamonds, and the resort proudly features ten restaurants; for upscale dining, guests can feast at The Rez Grill and the Council Oak Steaks and Seafood. There is also the elegant Cipresso, an Italian restaurant. Guests can also enjoy shows at the Hard Rock Event Center, or experience a relaxing treatment at Rock Spa and Salon.
About Hard Rock International
Hard Rock International is a premier, global company with properties in 68 countries across more than 240 locations. Hard Rock properties include casinos, hotels, cafes, Rock Shops, and live performance venues. In 2020, Hard Rock International also launched Hard Rock Digital, a joint venture that includes retail sportsbooks, an online sportsbook, and an online casino.
Hard Rock International began as a cafe, proudly displaying a vintage Eric Clapton guitar. Since then, Hard Rock has become the world’s largest owner of the most valuable, authentic music memorabilia collection in the world. The company has more than 86,000 pieces of rock memorabilia displayed at each of its worldwide locations.
But perhaps best of all, in 2021, Hard Rock received Forbes Magazine’s Top Employer Award in the Travel, Leisure, Gaming, and Entertainment Industry. Hard Rock was also named the Best Managed Company in the USA by the Wall Street Journal and Deloitte Private. J.D. Power’s North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study named Hard Rock as the top-performing hotel brand for three years in a row.
Not only that, In 2020, Hard Rock also received an award from Forbes Magazine as one of the Top Employers for Women and one of the Best Employers for Diversity.
But the accolades, don’t stop there; in 2020, Hard Rock also took first place in the Casino Gaming Executive Satisfaction Survey. This prestigious survey was conducted by Bristol Associates Inc on behalf of the Spectrum Gaming Group.
Hard Rock has strategically placed its destinations within international gateway cities. That includes the company’s two most successful Florida flagship properties, including Tampa. The company’s South Florida Guitar Hotel, a world first, ranked as the 2020 Global Gaming‘s Property of the Year. The Seminole Tribe of Florida owns the iconic, global brand.
