Branding rights for Hard Rock casinos east of the Mississippi River are controlled by Hard Rock International, an offshore corporation controlled by the Seminole Tribe. The tribe directly owns the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, in Florida, and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa.
West of the Mississippi, branding rights come along with ownership of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, in Las Vegas. It is owned by Brookfield Asset Management, a private equity fund, and managed by Warner Gaming. The nearby Hard Rock Café, however, as well as that entire restaurant chain, is owned by the Seminoles. This has been the source of some tension. The Seminoles are suing Brookfield to have the Hard Rock Hotel name taken off the property, claiming that the Hard Rock brand has been besmirched by the (now discontinued) Tru TV series, "Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel".
The Seminoles have been more successful franchising the Hard Rock name than has Brookfield. Through Hard Rock International, they co-own Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park, at the Northfield Park horse track near Cleveland. They also have a pending deal to manage a casino for the Menominee Tribe in Wisconsin, pending gubernatorial approval of the Menominee’s gaming compact.
