Casinos are always looking for ways to drive customers to their products. To achieve this goal, casinos have started tapping influencers – people on social media platforms promoting their talents in particular areas – in a symbiotic relationship that works well for both parties. This weekend at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa is one of those weekends as several slot influencers and their fans have descended on the property for a weekend of fun and celebration.
They Say it’s Your Birthday!
The “excuse” given for the weekend of frivolity at the Hard Rock Tampa was a birthday celebration for one of the slot influencers. Francine ‘Lady Luck HQ’ Maric chose to celebrate her birthday with her fellow influencers – Scott ‘The Big Jackpot’ Richter, Narek ‘NG Slot’ Gharibyan, and (flying in special for the weekend) Steve ‘Vegas Matt’ Morrow – and their fans. It would prove to be a rather large celebration, as the four influencers (and the remainder of the group who could not make Thursday’s first day) reach more than fifteen million fans through their various social media accounts (Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and X).
Kicking off the three days of fun was Thursday night’s gathering of the influencers and their fans. As the Olympics currently have the world’s attention, the quartet of influencers made Thursday night’s event a “Spins For the Gold” competition, where they all would compete against each other. Staged at the Event Center of the Hard Rock Tampa, the 1350 tickets available for the competition sold out (at a minimum of $35 a pop) in less than two weeks, and an equally long waitlist was established, reflecting the excitement that the event created.
What makes these ‘slot influencers’ so great? According to their fans, it is their likability while playing slots – and the large amount of bank that they win – that draws them in. It is like any social media interaction in that the influencer connects with the viewers, building a long-term relationship that transcends simply being in a casino.
This was apparent from the opening introductions for the night. While ‘The Big Jackpot’ and ‘NG Slot’ received the huzzahs of their fans, the surprising loudest acclaim was for the interloper from Las Vegas, ‘Vegas Matt.’ The Event Center thundered like a rock concert when Morrow was introduced, and he certainly played it up for the audience in attendance. He would even outshadow ‘Lady Luck,’ which is a rarity for such gatherings as this.
Let the Games Begin!
The format of the competition was a simple one: the influencers had a set number of spins and a set bet amount. The winner would be the one who won the most money over the course of the competition. To try to alleviate any variance in the match, the foursome played four rounds, at different stakes, and rotated through the series of machines. Oh, and a final touch? Whatever was won by the influencers would be split 50/50, with the influencers taking one half, and fifteen audience members, determined through a special drawing, sharing the other half.
Just to make it more exciting for the fans in attendance, after each round of the influencers spinning, four members of the audience would be chosen at random and given the opportunity to emulate their idols. It was hard to figure out whether the buzz was bigger for the influencers and their competition, or for the fans who were getting their shot at some nice bank.
It took absolutely no time at all for the excitement to explode. The first round was thirty spins at $250 per spin and, on only his second spin, ‘The Big Jackpot’ would live up to his name and nail a $10,000 jackpot; he would finish off his thirty-spin set by scoring another $4,500 payday. After the influencers completed their round, the audience members came to the stage and, with ten spins at $250 per spin, all four audience members walked off with positive results (along with a $500 credit from the Hard Rock Tampa).
That wasn’t it, however. There were three more levels to go for this, and ‘Vegas Matt’ was just getting warmed up (perhaps it was the tequila doing the work!). In the third round (thirty-five spins at $500 a pop), he would “only” hit a $2,500 line pay before he scored the largest jackpot of the competition. That jackpot was worth $52,000 and, along with work from ‘Jackpot’ and ‘NG,’ the foursome banked over $110,000 in just that round alone.
The only player who couldn’t really get anything going was the Birthday Girl. ‘Lady Luck’ didn’t seem to strike the jackpot bells as much as her fellow influencers, but it didn’t stop her from banking $22,000 for her four rounds. She was also gifted several items from the Hard Rock Tampa (and fans), including an impressive painting from Tampa artist Michael Vahl.
So Who Won?
As far as the slot competition went, the big winner was ‘Vegas Matt,’ who made the most of his trip to the Hard Rock Tampa by taking the gold medal. ‘NG Slot’ managed to pass ‘Jackpot’ to take the silver medal, while ‘Lady Luck’ had to settle for the adoration of her fans and the enjoyment of competing in the game. The big winner, however, was the fans in attendance, while the Seminole Hard Rock received accolades for presenting such a fine event, treating both the influencers and their fans with great respect and providing them an outlet for their activity.
If you think it is stopping there, it isn’t even close. It is a weekend of activities for the influencers, as ‘Lady Luck HQ and Friends: Birthday Triathlon Weekend” continues on through Friday and Saturday. There will be a $400,000 “Champion of the Reals” Slot Tournament, featuring qualifying rounds held on Friday and the championship finale on Saturday afternoon. Friday also has the $100,000 Play-to-Enter Slot Tournament qualifier from 7-10PM, where the top twenty-five Unity Point scorers and five wild cards will come back on Saturday for their championship battle.
There are two more days going on in the celebration of ‘Lady Luck,’ and, if you’re in the Tampa Bay area, it might be worth your while to check out some of the action at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa!