Hard Rock Casino Tejon Ready to Open as Seminoles Continue Westward Expansion
Posted on: October 3, 2025, 09:39h.
Last updated on: October 3, 2025, 09:45h.
- Hard Rock Casino Tejon will open in November 2025
- The $600 million project is from the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Tejon Indian Tribe
The stage is set for Hard Rock Casino Tejon, a $600 million development from the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Tejon Indian Tribe.
Located roughly 15 miles south of Bakersfield, Hard Rock Casino Tejon will open its doors on Nov. 13, 2025. Nestled at the base of the historic Grapevine Mountain Pass at the southernmost tip of the San Joaquin Valley, the 150K-square-foot casino on Tejon Indian land will offer more than 2,000 slot machines and 50 live-dealer table games.
We are incredibly proud to bring our iconic brand to Kern County and are thankful for our partnership with the Tejon Indian Tribe,” said Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming. “Hard Rock Casino Tejon will set a new standard for entertainment in the region, blending our world-class hospitality with the tribe’s inspiring vision for cultural and economic growth.”
Octavio Escobedo, III, chair of the Tejon Tribe, said November 13 will mark a “historic moment for the Tejon Indian Tribe and the entire Kern County community.”
“The opening of Hard Rock Casino Tejon is not only a celebration of our Tribe’s heritage and resilience but also a bold step forward in creating opportunity and prosperity for future generations. This project will bring thousands of jobs, fuel economic growth, and serve as a gathering place where culture, entertainment, and community come together,” said Escobedo.
Decade-Long Pursuit
The Tejon Indian Tribe had been pursuing Cass III gaming privileges for almost a decade when Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), in June 2022, agreed to enter into a revenue-sharing agreement with the federally recognized Indians to permit slot machines and table games. The governor’s actions coincided with the US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs placing the tribe’s 320 acres of land into the federal trust to designate the property as sovereign territory.
Along with the casino, Hard Rock Tejon will feature a Hard Rock Café, Deep Cut Steaks and Seafood, and YOUYU Noodle Bar. A Hard Rock Shop will sell Hard Rock merchandise.
Hard Rock International, owned by the Seminoles, said Hard Rock Casino Tejon has resulted in 1,000 permanent new jobs. The November opening comes almost two years after the casino’s December 2023 groundbreaking.
Western Expansion
The Seminoles and Hard Rock continue to invest in the western half of the US. Along with Tejon, the tribe is under construction of a more than $4 billion project on the Las Vegas Strip that will overhaul the former Mirage into a guitar-shaped Hard Rock resort.
Hard Rock also opened a $300 million casino in Northern Indiana in 2021. The tribe announced in August that it would seek to expand the property with a $100 million convention center.
Not all of the Seminoles’ focus is western, though, as Hard Rock is also among the final four bidders for one of the three downstate New York casino licenses. Hard Rock is partnered with billionaire Steve Cohen to bring a Las Vegas resort to the private equity tycoon’s Citi Field Ballpark, home of his MLB New York Mets.
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