Hard Rock Las Vegas hotel-casino is looking to fill out its leadership roster ahead of the Strip megaresort’s planned 2027 opening.
The $4 billion resort is seeking a senior vice president of gaming operations, a senior vice president of player development, a senior vice president of marketing and entertainment, and a general manager for the Guitar Hotel, according to a news release.
The open positions will join the already assembled founding team of Joe Lupo, president of Hard Rock Las Vegas Hotel & Casino; Joe Corbo, SVP and general counsel; Frank Cassella, SVP of finance; Morgan Lexis, SVP of global & HRLV sales; Sherri Sosa-Pucci, SVP of human resources; Paul Schillig, VP of hospitality; Alex Terry, VP of information technology; Luis Rodriguez, VP of facilities; and Orestes Guerra, VP and chief of security.
“Hard Rock Las Vegas has assembled one of the finest executive teams in the hospitality industry and these positions are for leaders worthy of standing alongside them,” Lupo said in a statement. “These openings are reserved for experienced leaders who will create and inspire the foundation of a positive work culture. We are building a team that works together, cares for one another, produces opportunities for growth and is hungry to win.”
The Strip’s largest resort construction is making steady progress toward a late-2027 opening, as work crews continue to transform the former Mirage hotel-casino into what will become Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas.
When finished, the new Hard Rock complex will feature nearly 3,700 hotel rooms, approximately 175,000 square feet of gaming space, two spas, multiple pools, live entertainment venues, and dozens of restaurants, lounges, and retail outlets. The resort expects to employ nearly 6,000 people.
“When our doors open, our team will compete fiercely and look to push the envelope creating a highly successful property with no intention of slowing down,” Lupo said.
Hard Rock International, which is owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, purchased The Mirage for $1.075 billion in 2022 from Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts International. Hard Rock closed The Mirage on July 17, 2024.
DraftKings all in on predictions
DraftKings is betting big on prediction markets.
During Friday’s earnings call for the sportsbook giant, DraftKings CEO Jason Robins said the company expects to invest up to $300 million this year on prediction markets.
“I think the really important thing is the opportunity to grow in predictions,” he said. “We have the entire other half of the country now open to us, and we haven’t even begun to ramp marketing.”
DraftKings, which doesn’t operate in Nevada, posted revenue of $1.64 billion for the first quarter of 2026, a year-over-year increase of 17 percent.
Prediction slots
Nevada Gaming Control Board chairman Mike Dreitzler said during an appearance at the Economic Club of Las Vegas last week that the potential widespread rollout of prediction market-style slot machines poses a bigger threat than sports betting.
“Make no mistake, that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “They will take these prediction algorithms, put it in a cabinet, and have … casinos that are unregulated and untaxed sitting right next to Bellagio on Las Vegas Boulevard.
“They will be sitting in Dallas, Los Angeles and Hawaii. That’s where this goes.”
Prediction markets have become prevalent under the regulatory jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. American Gaming Association president Bill Miller took aim at CFTC chairman Michael Selig during his appearance at the Economic Club of Las Vegas for allowing prediction markets to permit unregulated gambling.
“The head of the CFTC, quite frankly, is a joke,” he said. “He believes somehow that what he’s doing is Uber and the rest of the country is the taxicab industry. That’s not the case.”
AGA survey
According to a recent American Gaming Association survey, 81 percent of U.S. gaming executives regard prediction markets as a “very significant” threat to the regulated gaming industry. But more than 60 percent of those same executives remain optimistic about the future and expect increased capital investment and revenue growth over the next six to 12 months.
“The legal state- and tribal-regulated gaming industry continues to demonstrate resilience and adaptability in a dynamic economic environment,” Miller said.
Contact David Danzis at ddanzis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0378. Follow @AC2Vegas_Danzis on X.
Contact Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.
