Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Hosts Slot Celebrities to Celebrate Casino Awards

^{More and more like rock stars, prominent slots influencers, dubbed the “Slot-tastic Four,” were the guests of honor this weekend as the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa. (Photo: Earl Burton / Casinos.com)}

TAMPA, Florida (Casinos.com) -- Casinos.com recently announced the recipients of its International Casino Awards for 2025, and one of the biggest winners was the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa. The Seminole operation was one of only two casinos to win multiple awards, including “Best Casino for Hitting Jackpots” (in the past year, the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa has awarded 839,000 jackpots totaling over $2.45 BILLION). 

Its other awards were Best Casino in Florida, and Best Celebrity-Spotting Casino. These titles were chosen by casino players. They also happened to coincide with Seminole Hard Rock Tampa being named #1 in Casinos.com’s study of the luckiest casinos in the US, ranked. 

So, how does SHRT celebrate all this good news? By throwing a weekend-long party centered around winning jackpots. The festivities started Friday night with a packed house of slot fans and some of the biggest slot influencers in the world. They included a live Q-and-A with four slots influencers followed by a meet-and-greet, a $200,000 slots tournament, and all the Instagrammable backdrops a casino marketing manager could dream of.

"As the luckiest casino in the U.S. and the Best Casino for Hitting Jackpots, Seminole Hard Rock Tampa is the ideal venue to host the Slot-Tastic Four Weekend in celebration of these awards," said Gordon Sipple, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Seminole Gaming. "We're bringing in four of the world's top slot social media influencers to spread the news and celebrate with our guests."

Rock Star Treatment for “Slot-Tastic Four”

On Friday evening, the Seminole Hard Rock Event Center – normally reserved for concerts or MMA bouts – played host to “Slot Talk,” a lively Q&A with four of the biggest social media influencers in the casino world. The 2,000-seat venue was packed to the rafters with cheering fans.

It was obvious from their resumes why these influencers were chosen. Scott “Raja” Richter – the only influencer to ever hit a million-dollar jackpot while livestreamming – headlined the event alongside Michael DeArmey (“MrMikeSlots”) who needled his fellow panelists to the crowd’s delight. Narek Gharibyan (“NGSlot”), arguably the most prolific jackpot winner of the group, and Tampa’s own Francine “LadyLuckHQ” Maric – whose videos have racked up more than 600 MILLION views – rounded out the star-studded lineup.

About an hour before showtime, the property still felt quiet – a calm before the storm. Behind the scenes, influencers exchanged hugs and hellos while staff completed a flawless stage setup. I caught up with “Lady Luck” backstage for a glimpse into her life as an influencer.

Maric once worked in the auto industry as a liaison, but a filmed jackpot in 2017 changed her career path. She and her husband started Lady Luck HQ, documenting their wins (and losses) around the world. By 2022, she was all-in on the influencer life – now with 680,000 Instagram followers and more than 850,000 YouTube subscribers.

Tampa-based slots influencer Francine Maric (aka “Lady Luck”) poses at the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, which Casinos.com recently named the luckiest casino in the US. (Photo: Lady Luck HQ / Facebook)

“Ironically enough, we got into this by dumb luck,” Maric told me. “You have to like what you’re doing. You basically have to love it. If you don’t, it’s going to show in your work.”

Oh, and where has Lady Luck had her best success? “Dragon Link is my favorite game to play,” she said, “and I always enjoy coming to the Hard Rock whenever I do. I get a good vibe here.” 

Maric said that being a so-called influencer isn’t always as glamorous as it seems, and thus you have to be driven by more than just a quest for attention to succeed.

“Make sure you’re doing something that you’re passionate about and record yourself doing that very thing,” Lady Luck advised. “You have to enjoy what you’re doing because you’re going to be blogging and vlogging about it 24/7.”

By 6:30 pm on Friday, the pre-game calm had turned into organized chaos as thousands packed the Seminole Hard Rock Event Center to see the “Slot-Tastic Four” – some coming for the jackpots, others for a deeper connection between fans, families, and the people who document their casino experience.

One fan, Ronnie, brought her daughters to see Lady Luck after discovering her videos during a tough recovery from surgery. “It became something that we shared together,” Ronnie said. “We’ve done trips to Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, Atlantic City – but the Hard Rock is our home casino, and Lady Luck is a part of that.”

Laughs and Lessons from the ‘Slot-Tastic Four’

Though the Q&A started a little late, no one seemed to mind. The crowd was there for their favorite heroes and, in some cases, for their country; Gharibyan seemed to have a strong contingent of his compatriots waving Armenian flags. The vibe was electric. After emcee JP Taylor warmed up the fans, the panel quickly hit their jovial stride. 

Asked about their worst losing session, “Raja” admitted to a $250,000 loss, as the others nodded knowingly. Everyone except DeArmey. 

"These guys don't know what they're doing," MrMikeSlots interjected. "I win all the time!"

As the laughter subsided, he added more seriously that even influencers lose most of the time, which their fans and all slot players should take to heart. 

The panel all agreed on the importance of never gambling more than you can afford to lose, and remembering to always have fun, as the two often go hand-in-hand.

Afterward, the influencers were gifted custom Seminole Hard Rock guitars – a signature of the brand – and fans flooded the stage area for a meet-and-greet. Hugs, high-fives and selfies ensued.

The night wasn’t just a celebration of jackpots. It was a full-on lovefest between 2,000 casino fans and the influencers they watch, follow, and trust. 

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The Seminole Tribe of Florida has long been one of the most powerful and pioneering forces in Native American gaming. From acquiring the global Hard Rock brand to setting industry standards in casino development and management, the Seminoles stand as one of the most successful examples of tribal influence in the commercial casino space. Their Tampa location has become a high-performing resort that also serves as a cultural hub for fans of gaming, music and sports. 

Whether you’re visiting a Florida casino as a traveller or exploring where you can  access online casinos in the US, one thing’s for sure: Seminole Hard Rock Tampa is a prime destination for slots fans.