South Lake Tahoe man wins Jaguar XJ at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

As part of their grand opening promotion, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino gave away a Jaguar XJ to one person who signed up for their player loyalty card. On February 28 there were 12 finalists announced, and South Lake Tahoe local Rick R. (no last name released) was the lucky winner.

“We opened up the boxes and I was looking at the others waiting for someone to start jumping up and down,” said Rick. “Then they tapped my on the shoulder and told me to look in the box. I couldn’t believe it was me! I thought I was dreaming. I still think I’m dreaming! This is probably the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

Rick, 57, has lived in South Lake Tahoe for 18 years. He’s been a landscaper, a property manager and has owned businesses including lawn care and snow removal services. But now he says it’s time to retire.

“I took the cash payout and was able to pay off the mortgage to my house,” Rick said. “I can’t tell you how amazing it is to go to sleep at night knowing we don’t have to worry about that.”

“I’ve been here a lot of years and have played at a lot of places and nobody has taken care of me in all those years the way the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has in just the one month they’ve been open. I’m just so thankful they showed up. This is really a dream come true. I’m so thankful!”