HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - With the red carpets rolled out and Hollywood celebrities on the scene, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino opened its doors to South Floridians to ring in a new era of gambling in the state.
The celebration on the opening day follows a pause after two years of legal battles between the Seminole tribe and the state of Florida.
It is the first time in the state of Florida that guests can enjoy Vegas-style tables and a week-long lesson for the craps table. The festivities included a spin of the roulette wheel and roll of the craps.
Local celebrities like Los Pichy Boys and Willy Chirino joined company and tribe leaders in the Thursday morning celebrations.
Hours later, Gloria and Emilio Estefan were on their feet at a craps table as they counted down the seconds to begin the first game.
“You see all the celebs, all the superstars here, we’re turning up the games, though,” said rapper Rick Ross.
Guests who wanted to try their luck in sports betting cheered when an announcer gave them the green light to begin.
“Ladies and gentlemen, sports betting is live!” said the announcer.
Among the better-known guests was boxing legend Mike Tyson.
When asked who he was favoring to win when placing his first bet, Tyson replied, “The Dolphins.”
When asked whether or not he believes the Miami Dolphins will go all the way to the Super Bowl, Tyson replied, “I don’t know, but I placed a bet on them.”
7News cameras captured people playing games like roulette during the opening day.
Thursdays celebration follows a two-year legal battle that took a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to get games like roulette, the Sportsbook and craps to go live.
Chris Osceola, a Seminole Tribe council member, spoke about the lengths the tribe went to get this major victory in sports gambling.
“We had a fight. I remember going to Tallahassee back in April 2021. That’s the day when Chairman Osceola and Gov. DeSantis signed that compact,” said Osceola. “We left there cheering and thought we were off to the races, and low and behold, they shut us down, and here we are. We had to go back , we had to fight some more.”
Back at the craps table, South Florida royalty were among the first to roll the dice. Among them was NBA champ Dwyane Wade.
“Every time I come back to Miami it feels good. Glad to be here,” he said. “We have love in this city.”
One of the last times 7News featured Wade, the former Miami Heat player was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Gloria Estefan, meanwhile, shared her betting strategy.
“Never bet, that’s my strategy,” she said.
“I’m excited. This brings a lot of the great people to Miami, people have fun and say, ‘It’s different,'” said Emilio Estefan.
As for Ross, who also goes by Ricky Rosé, he was giving it out. His generosity extended to handing a bottle of Luc Belaire rosé to 7News reporter Sheldon Fox.
“Luc Belaire. Man, I’ve got a gift for you. Channel 7, baby. Number one, baby, number one,” said Ross.
Rapper Fat Joe was also enjoying the gaming fun.
“I was out there having a great time. We shot craps, the environment was incredible. A bunch of my friends were there; we had a great time,” he said.
E Street Band musician and “The Sopranos” star Steven Van Zandt came to play as well. He went for his on-stage look as opposed to his wardrobe as mobster Silvio Dante
“Well, you know, I do that occasionally, but yeah, next time,” he said.
“Happy to be a part of this night,” said Gloria Estefan.
The casino is now open to the South Florida public, providing 20 roulette tables, 10 craps tables, and 38 sports betting kiosks along with 10 new sports betting agents.
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