Hard Rock brings fortune to tribe

Hard Rock is opening its first hotel in Europe. Isa Soares talks with the leader of the Seminole tribe behind it.

The year was 1967 and it was in Saigon, Vietnam, the chief Jim Billie began his love affair with rock and roll.

That made me to remember, the news came really sort of ‘Bong, bong, bong, bong, bong bong bong.’ (music) All of these guys are sweaty and dirty, machine guns hanging on the arms. We were dancing to Jimmy Hendrix.

Little did he know just 10 years later, his tribe Seminole would be entering high-stake world Bingo in Florida, becoming the first US tribe to get into gambling. Someone brought me a paper, it says a game called Bingo on it, and I’ve seen bingo played before by some white people in Oklahoma. They were just using coins, putting on a little number on the spot, so you didn’t really make any hit on my head, myself until I read on back pages that you can make at least 3 million dollars in 6 months. Bingo gave Seminole’s million dollar industry and soon they wanted more.

In 2006, the Seminole Tribe of Florida purchased the Hard Rock Café Hotel and casino business for $965 million, taking them from Swamp of the ever lags where they rely on the federal loans for economic survival, to the bright city lights.

CEO: You know, our ancestors sold Manhattan for trinkets. Today with the acquisition of the Hard Rock Cafes, we are gonna buy Manhattan back one hand at a time. So working towards that goal, today in addition to the Hard Rock business, the Seminole tribe owns and operates 5 other casinos. Last year alone the native American gaming industry made almost $28 billion in revenues. But it is a huge figure of a billion dollars, of that amount of money, 50% of it, or maybe a little bit more of 50%, is actually real cash that goes to the individual families, whoever they may be.

Back on Hard Rock’s Vault in London, where 70,000 pieces of rock memorabilia are stored, including Jimi Hendrix’s flying V guitar and Madonna Bustier, chief Jim Billie can’t quite believe his place love.

J: Actually in a world on a stage, I would never have thought of I being the man standing in my vault here.

This was started in Saigon, Vietnam, with a simple hum. ‘Bong, Bong, Bong, Bong.’ Has got fortune and music to his heirs.