Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Honors International Superstar and South Florida's Own Gloria Estefan with First Commemorative Musical Series $5 Casino Chip

Special Edition Collectible Limited to 2,500 Chips Debuted Monday, October 13; Launch Coincides with Estefan's Charitable Concert for Education on October 24

HOLLYWOOD, FLA - Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has honored international recording superstar and South Florida's own Gloria Estefan with an exclusive commemorative $5 casino chip. This special edition collectible, the first in a musical series that the hotel plans to promote, debuted to players and fans on Monday, October 13. It is limited to a 2,500 run.  The chip is available at the casino cash cage and is valid for all table games at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, only.

The casino chip launch coincides with the five-time Grammy Award-winner's charitable concert at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on October 24 at 8 p.m. A portion of the proceeds from that show, made possible through a  partnership with The Gloria Estefan Foundation and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Florida, will benefit the Education Funds of Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Indian River County public schools, all of which are dedicated to improving the lives of our youth through education. Tickets are available via ticketmaster.com

"Without a doubt, the Gloria Estefan chip will be an in-demand cross-over collectible," said Gene Trimble, noted gaming chip collector, author and historian. "Between the chip collectors and Gloria's fans, it is certain to be a scarce chip." 

Gloria Estefan's career has spanned almost 3 decades with over 90 million albums sold worldwide.  Her live concert tours have taken the performer around the globe with millions of fans cheering her on.

The former Gloria Fajardo, born in Havana, Cuba, in 1957, enjoyed her childhood and adolescence in Miami, where she still resides. At 18, she was invited to sing at a wedding with a local band called Miami Latin Boys. The gathering, in which she would meet the group's young leader and future husband, Emilio Estefan, would mark the beginning of a radical change in her life. The singer would become an integral part of the band, later renaming itself Miami Sound Machine, and enjoy a string of hits known around the world.

Their first album in English, Eyes of Innocence, spawned the famous single "Dr. Beat," a hit in Europe that took Miami Sound Machine to  number one in the United Kingdom.  The hits arrived continuously with the release of the album Primitive Love which sold more than 3 million units in the United States, alone,  and produced the hit singles "Bad Boy," "Words Get in the Way" and "Conga" - the song with which the band would become most identified. The song also has the distinction of being the only track in the history of music to appear simultaneously in Billboard's Pop, Latin, Soul and Dance charts. The next two albums, Let It Loose (1987) and Cuts Both Ways (1989), were worldwide sensations. This period was dominated by audience favorites such as "Anything for You," "Can't Stay Away From You," "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You," "1-2-3," "Don't Wanna Lose You," "Oye Mi Canto" and "Get on Your Feet." Around this time also, Gloria Estefan's name had taken center stage, still being backed by her infamous band Miami Sound Machine.

With success and awards in pocket, Estefan's fortune took a severe turn in 1990.   While sleeping, her tour bus, was involved in a horrible accident, leaving Estefan partially paralyzed. Against all odds, she surprised the world when she appeared on the American Music Awards just one year later singing an emotionally personal new composition, "Coming Out of the Dark."  That #1 song was followed by the album Into the Light and by a huge 17-country tour attended by more than 10 million people.

Following a Greatest Hits release in 1992, she released Mi Tierra (My Homeland), her first in Spanish in a decade. A critical and commercial success, Mi Tierra earned Estefan her first Grammy award.

In 1995, she returned once again to her Latin roots with Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors), another Grammy and another #1 hit with "Más Allá' (Beyond)". Estefan became the first pop music star to sing to a pope when she performed that song for John Paul II.

The ‘90s were a decade of great achievements for Estefan with "Reach," the official song of the 1996 Summer Olympics; from the album Destiny; a collection of dance tracks launched in 1998 to the name of Gloria!, and which featured "Don't Let This Moment End" and "Heaven's What I Feel" which she also performed at the Original Divas Live concert series for the VH1 network. The composer and musician also delved into acting working alongside Meryl Streep in Music Of The Heart, receiving accolades as well as an Oscar nomination for her theme song of the movie recorded with Justin Timberlake's band *NSYNC.

In 2000, the Spanish-language album Alma Caribeña (Caribbean Soul) brought her another Grammy and several radio hits including a duet with Cuban music legend Celia Cruz. This was followed by one of her most personal and intimate records, Unwrapped in which she collaborated with music icons, Stevie Wonder and Chrissie Hynde.

An exemplary role model and artist, Estefan has received innumerable awards and distinctions including the American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement, BMI Song-Writer of the Year, induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and a host of MTV, VMA and Cable ACE awards. She was also given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and received the Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor in 1993. This award constitutes the highest honor that can be bestowed on a naturalized U.S. citizen. She has even penned two New York Times best-selling children's books. She is currently working on a script based on the life and career of ‘60s pop music icon, Connie Francis

The CD 90 Millas is Gloria's Estefan's latest and features musicians Arturo Sandoval, Andy Garcia, Chocolate, India, Cachao, Papo Lucca, Johnny Pacheco and Generoso. It includes the hit single "No Llores."

About Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is South Florida's only real casino and leading entertainment destination featuring 71 tables offering Blackjack, Baccarat, Mini-Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker, and Let it Ride. More than 2,500 of the most popular Vegas-style slots and games are available to play on its 145,000-square-foot casino floor including Multi-Area Progressive Jackpots and Mega Jackpots. The Poker Room at Seminole Paradise is a 12,000-square-foot private room offering no-limit Texas Hold ‘em, limit Texas Hold 'em, Seven Card Stud and two dollar and four dollar limit Omaha Hi Lo games. Our casino offers a non-smoking room and a high-limit gaming room with a cashier booth, check cashing services, and safe deposit boxes. The high-limit room also includes a VIP Plum Lounge exclusive area for loyal Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Players Club members and a celebrity show kitchen. This Four Diamond, AAA-rated, 500-room hotel offers 16 restaurants and lounges, 40,000 square feet of meeting room space, a full-service, European-style spa, and 23 retail shops, 11 nightclubs, and Paradise Live - a 600 seat venue with classic music album performances in Seminole Paradise. Entertainment aficionados can enjoy national and international musical acts, comedic performances, and more in Hard Rock Live - a state-of-the art and acoustically-sound arena located on property. Lucky Street parking garage offers guests an additional 2,300 spaces for parking. The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is located on State Road 7 (U.S. 441) in Hollywood, Florida. From I-95, exit Stirling Rd. and travel west to 1 Seminole Way. For more information, call (954) 327-ROCK, 1-800-937-0010 or visit us online at http://www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com/.  

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