Hard Rock Hotel, IGT sign deal for DoubleDown Casino

LAS VEGAS -- International Game Technology said Tuesday that its DoubleDown Casino on Facebook will partner with the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, DoubleDown's first deal with a land-based casino in Las Vegas.

DoubleDown Casino will have its application hosted on the Hard Rock Hotel's website. DoubleDown Casino is a social gaming company that sells virtual casino chips and has online slots, poker and other games.

"Engaging through the website allows players to remain connected to the property ... with DoubleDown Casino simply providing the gaming content," said Eric Tom, executive vice president of global sales at IGT.

Terms of the contract weren't disclosed. The deal with Hard Rock was announced about a week after IGT, which operates in Las Vegas and Reno, reached a similar deal with Jacobs Entertainment Inc.

Jacobs Entertainment operates five websites associated with its casinos in Northern Nevada and Colorado, including its Gold Dust West casinos in Reno, Carson City and Elko.

Jacobs Entertainment President Steve Roark said the deal with DoubleDown Casino lets his company interact with and reach out to customers.

IGT announced similar deals with the Golden Acorn casino in Campo, Calif., some 50 miles east of San Diego, and Casino Del Sol in Tucson, Ariz.

IGT said new games will be added automatically to the virtual casino, and first-time users of the application on the Hard Rock Hotel website will receive $1 million in virtual chips to start their play.

"What the relationship with DoubleDown Casino enables us to do is provide just that - more fun, more play, more entertainment," said Bill Warner, president of WG-Harmon LLC, which manages the Hard Rock Hotel.

IGT bought DoubleDown Interactive LLC, the Seattle-based parent of DoubleDown Casino, in January for $500 million to get the slot machine maker's products in front of social media consumers. DoubleDown Casino has 5.2 million active users, the company said.