Leaders of the Native American Cherokee Nation and their business entity, Cherokee Nation Entertainment, have announced a partnership with the executives who run the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino chain to rebrand their current gaming destination from Cherokee Casino to Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa. In a state once known for its “Dust Bowl” years, a name like Hard Rock will help to build its reputation as a gambling mecca.

Just as Oklahoma is growing into third-biggest state for serious gambling site resorts (behind Nevada and New Jersey), the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino empire continues to expand its reach. With resorts in Las Vegas, Nevada; Biloxi, Mississippi; and Tampa, Florida, the company looks to establish its new location near Tulsa, Oklahoma as a gambling destination for players in nearby states without casinos such as Texas and Arkansas.

Like all of the other Hard Rock hotels, casinos and restaurants around the world, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa will feature some of the most interesting rock’n’roll memorabilia available. The collection featured in the Tulsa location, however, will focus on artists from the US Midwest and South, with special exhibits featuring guitars and other instruments from artists from Oklahoma.

The rebranded destination will also feature an eighteen-hole golf course, five restaurants and a Hard Rock concert space which will open next year and feature touring acts from all over the world. Another facet of this resort will be Toby Keith’s ‘I Love This Bar and Grill’, a theme restaurant that will display memorabilia from the native Oklahoman and country music superstar.

In recent years, the state of Oklahoma has undergone a transformation. Like other neighboring states that have allowed native tribes to open casinos, Oklahoma has gone from the hardscrabble land seen in films like “The Grapes of Wrath” to a state that has attracted the attention of an international brand like Hard Rock. Much of the state, especially the chronically unemployed native tribes, has prospered during the recent recession.