Cloud-Computing in the Post-Serverless Era: Current Trends and Beyond – InfoQ.com

Key Takeaways

[Note: The opinions and predictions in this article are those of the author and not of InfoQ.]

As AWS Lambda approaches its 10th anniversary this year, serverless computing expands beyond just Function as a Service (FaaS). Today, serverless describes cloud services that require no manual provisioning, offer on-demand auto-scaling, and use consumption-based pricing. This shift is part of a broader evolution in cloud computing, with serverless technology continuously transforming. This article focuses on the future beyond serverless, exploring how the cloud landscape will evolve beyond current hyperscaler models and its impact on developers and operations teams. I will examine the top three trends shaping this evolution.

In software development, a "module" or "component" typically refers to a self-contained unit of software that performs a cohesive set of actions. This concept corresponds elegantly to the microservice architecture that typically runs on long-running compute services such as Virtual Machines (VMs) or a container service. AWS EC2, one of the first widely accessible cloud computing services, offered scalable VMs. Introducing such scalable, accessible cloud resources provided the infrastructure necessary for microservices architecture to become practical and widespread. This shift led to decomposing monolithic applications into independently deployable microservice units.

Lets continue with this analogy of software units. A function is a block of code that encapsulates a sequence of statements performing a single task with defined input and output. This unit of code nicely corresponds to the FaaS execution model. The concept of FaaS executing code in response to events without the need to manage infrastructure existed before AWS Lambda but lacked broad implementation and recognition.

The concept of FaaS, which involves executing code in response to events without the need for managing infrastructure, was already suggested by services like Google App Engine, Azure WebJobs, IronWorker, and AWS Elastic Beanstalk before AWS Lambda brought it into the mainstream. Lambda, emerging as the first major commercial implementation of FaaS, acted as a catalyst for its popularity by easing the deployment process for developers. This advancement led to the transformation of microservices into smaller, individually scalable, event-driven operations.

In the evolution toward smaller software units offered as a service, one might wonder if we will see basic programming elements like expressions or statements as a service (such as int x = a + b;). The progression, however, steers away from this path. Instead, we are witnessing the minimization and eventual replacement of functions by configurable cloud constructs. Constructs in software development, encompassing elements like conditionals (if-else, switch statements), loops (for, while), exception handling (try-catch-finally), or user-defined data structures, are instrumental in controlling program flow or managing complex data types. In cloud services, constructs align with capabilities that enable the composition of distributed applications, interlinking software modules such as microservices and functions, and managing data flow between them.

Cloud construct replacing functions, replacing microservices, replacing monolithic applications

While you might have previously used a function to filter, route, batch, split events, or call another cloud service or function, now these operations and more can be done with less code in your functions, or in many cases with no function code at all. They can be replaced by configurable cloud constructs that are part of the cloud services. Lets look at a few concrete examples from AWS to demonstrate this transition from Lambda function code to cloud constructs:

These are just a few examples of application code constructs becoming serverless cloud constructs. Rather than validating input values in a function with if-else logic, you can validate the inputs through configuration. Rather than routing events with a case or switch statement to invoke other code from within a function, you can define routing logic declaratively outside the function. Events can be triggered from data sources on data change, batched, or split without a repetition construct, such as a for or while loop.

Events can be validated, transformed, batched, routed, filtered, and enriched without a function. Failures were handled and directed to DLQs and back without a try-catch code, and successful completion was directed to other functions and service endpoints. Moving these constructs from application code into construct configuration reduces application code size or removes it, eliminating the need for security patching and any maintenance.

A primitive and a construct in programming have distinct meanings and roles. A primitive is a basic data type inherently part of a programming language. It embodies a basic value, such as an integer, float, boolean, or character, and does not comprise other types. Mirroring this concept, the cloud - just like a giant programming runtime - is evolving from infrastructure primitives like network load balancers, virtual machines, file storage, and databases to more refined and configurable cloud constructs.

Like programming constructs, these cloud constructs orchestrate distributed application interactions and manage complex data flows. However, these constructs are not isolated cloud services; there isnt a standalone "filtering as a service" or "event emitter as service." There are no "Constructs as a Service," but they are increasingly essential features of core cloud primitives such as gateways, data stores, message brokers, and function runtimes.

This evolution reduces application code complexity and, in many cases, eliminates the need for custom functions. This shift from FaaS to NoFaaS (no fuss, implying simplicity) is just beginning, with insightful talks and code examples on GitHub. Next, I will explore the emergence of construct-rich cloud services within vertical multi-cloud services.

In the post-serverless cloud era, its no longer enough to offer highly scalable cloud primitives like compute for containers and functions, or storage services such as key/value stores, event stores, relational databases, or networking primitives like load balancers. Post-serverless cloud services must be rich in developer constructs and offload much of the application plumbing. This goes beyond hyperscaling a generic cloud service for a broad user base; it involves deep specialization and exposing advanced constructs to more demanding users.

Hyperscalers like AWS, Azure, GCP, and others, with their vast range of services and extensive user bases, are well-positioned to identify new user needs and constructs. However, providing these more granular developer constructs results in increased complexity. Each new construct in every service requires a deep learning curve with its specifics for effective utilization. Thus, in the post-serverless era, we will observe the rise of vertical multi-cloud services that excel in one area. This shift represents a move toward hyperspecialization of cloud services.

Consider Confluent Cloud as an example. While all major hyperscalers (AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.) offer Kafka services, none match the developer experience and constructs provided by Confluent Cloud. With its Kafka brokers, numerous Kafka connectors, integrated schema registry, Flink processing, data governance, tracing, and message browser, Confluent Cloud delivers the most construct-rich and specialized Kafka service, surpassing what hyperscalers offer.

This trend is not isolated; numerous examples include MongoDB Atlas versus DocumentDB, GitLab versus CodeCommit, DataBricks versus EMR, RedisLabs versus ElasticCache, etc. Beyond established cloud companies, a new wave of startups is emerging, focusing on a single multi-cloud primitive (like specialized compute, storage, networking, build-pipeline, monitoring, etc.) and enriching it with developer constructs to offer a unique value proposition. Here are some cloud services hyperspecializing in a single open-source technology, aiming to provide a construct-rich experience and attract users away from hyperscalers:

This list represents a fraction of a growing ecosystem of hyperspecialized vertical multi-cloud services built atop core cloud primitives offered by hyperscalers. They compete by providing a comprehensive set of programmable constructs and an enhanced developer experience.

Serverless cloud services hyperspecializing in one thing with rich developer constructs

Once this transition is completed, bare-bones cloud services without rich constructs, even serverless ones, will seem like outdated on-premise software. A storage service must stream changes like DynamoDB; a message broker should include EventBridge-like constructs for event-driven routing, filtering, and endpoint invocation with retries and DLQs; a pub/sub system should offer message batching, splitting, filtering, transforming, and enriching.

Ultimately, while hyperscalers expand horizontally with an increasing array of services, hyperspecializers grow vertically, offering a single, best-in-class service enriched with constructs, forming an ecosystem of vertical multi-cloud services. The future of cloud service competition will pivot from infrastructure primitives to a duo of core cloud primitives and developer-centric constructs.

Cloud constructs increasingly blur the boundaries between application and infrastructure responsibilities. The next evolution is the "shift left" of cloud automation, integrating application and automation codes in terms of tools and responsibilities. Lets examine how this transition is unfolding.

The first generation of cloud infrastructure management was defined by Infrastructure as Code (IaC), a pattern that emerged to simplify the provisioning and management of infrastructure. This approach is built on the trends set by the commoditization of virtualization in cloud computing.

The initial IaC tools introduced new domain-specific languages (DSL) dedicated to creating, configuring, and managing cloud resources in a repeatable manner. Tools like Chef, Ansible, Puppet, and Terraform led this phase. These tools, leveraging declarative languages, allowed operation teams to define the infrastructures desired state in code, abstracting underlying complexities.

However, as the cloud landscape transitions from low-level coarse-grained infrastructure to more developer-centric programmable finer-grained constructs, a trend toward using existing general-purpose programming languages for defining these constructs is emerging. New entrants like Pulumi and the AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) are at the forefront of this wave, supporting languages such as TypeScript, Python, C#, Go, and Java.

The shift to general-purpose languages is driven by the need to overcome the limitations of declarative languages, which lack expressiveness and flexibility for programmatically defining cloud constructs, and by the shift-left of configuring cloud constructs responsibilities from operations to developers. Unlike the static nature of declarative languages suited for low-level static infrastructure, general-purpose languages enable developers to define dynamic, logic-driven cloud constructs, achieving a closer alignment with application code.

Shifting-left of application composition from infrastructure to developer teams

The post-serverless cloud developers need to implement business logic by creating functions and microservices but also compose them together using programmable cloud constructs. This shapes a broader set of developer responsibilities to develop and compose cloud applications. For example, a code with business logic in a Lambda function would also need routing, filtering, and request transformation configurations in API Gateway.

Another Lambda function may need DynamoDB streaming configuration to stream specific data changes, EventBridge routing, filtering, and enrichment configurations.

A third application may have most of its orchestration logic expressed as a StepFunction where the Lambda code is only a small task. A developer, not a platform engineer or Ops member, can compose these units of code together. Tools such as Pulumi, AWS SDK, and others that enable a developer to use the languages of their choice to implement a function and use the same language to compose its interaction with the cloud environment are best suited for this era.

Platform teams still can use declarative languages, such as Terraform, to govern, secure, monitor, and enable teams in the cloud environments, but developer-focused constructs, combined with developer-focused cloud automation languages, will shift left the cloud constructs and make developer self-service in the cloud a reality.

The transition from DSL to general-purpose languages marks a significant milestone in the evolution of IaC. It acknowledges the transition of application code into cloud constructs, which often require a deeper developer control of the resources for application needs. This shift represents a maturation of IaC tools, which now need to cater to a broader spectrum of infrastructure orchestration needs, paving the way for more sophisticated, higher-level abstractions and tools.

The journey of infrastructure management will see a shift from static configurations to a more dynamic, code-driven approach. This evolution hasnt stopped at Infrastructure as Code; it is transcending into a more nuanced realm known as Composition as Code. This paradigm further blurs the lines between application code and infrastructure, leading to more streamlined, efficient, and developer-friendly practices.

In summarizing the trends and their reinforcing effects, were observing an increasing integration of programming constructs into cloud services. Every compute service will integrate CI/CD pipelines; databases will provide HTTP access from the edge and emit change events; message brokers will enhance capabilities with filtering, routing, idempotency, transformations, DLQs, etc.

Infrastructure services are evolving into serverless APIs, infrastructure inferred from code (IfC), framework-defined infrastructure, or explicitly composed by developers (CaC). This evolution leads to smaller functions and sometimes to NoFaaS pattern, paving the way for hyperspecialized, developer-first vertical multi-cloud services. These services will offer infrastructure as programmable APIs, enabling developers to seamlessly merge their applications using their preferred programming language.

The shift-left of application composition using cloud services will increasingly blend with application programming, transforming microservices from an architectural style to an organizational one. A microservice will no longer be just a single deployment unit or process boundary but a composition of functions, containers, and cloud constructs, all implemented and glued together in a single language chosen by the developer. The future is shaping to be hyperspecialized and focused on the developer-first cloud.

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Cloud-Computing in the Post-Serverless Era: Current Trends and Beyond - InfoQ.com

More Is Not Always Better: How The Las Vegas Swim Club Rebuilt To The National Stage – SwimSwam

This article originally appeared in the 2023 College Preview issue of SwimSwam Magazine. Subscribe here.

At the end of 2013, Peter Mavro and Amber Stewart were given the task of resurrecting a swim club on the verge of falling apart. With determination, a clear vision, and the influence of one of swimmings brightest minds in Russell Mark, they were able to make it happen.

When Mavro and Stewart first took over the Las Vegas Swim Club (LVSC) as head and assistant coach respectively, there were only 25 members and a 50% athlete retention rate. Numbers had been dropping for the club ever since their training facility, the Pavilion Center Pool, shut down in 2010 and they had to relocate. When Pavillion opened up in 2012 again, LVSC had their facility back, but the culture and outlook of the club was still very bleak.

At that time, LVSCs only purpose was to serve as a feeder organizationkids showed up to swim for three months, and then they either quit or moved on to the bigger, more lucrative Sandpipers of Nevada (SAND) club that was just ten minutes down the road. In other words, LVSCs biggest competition was the club that would later go on to produce six different Olympic and World Championship team members in the next decade.

There was just this constant revolving door of kids coming in and kids coming out, Mavro said. You cant build a consistent culture in that kind of scenario,

In front of them, Mavro and Stewart faced an organization that was barely holding itself together, and the fact that they were next-door neighbors with the biggest age group talent hotbed in the country only rubbed more salt into the wound. It was very easy for them to raise the white flag of surrender, but instead, they decided from day one that they were committed to reform.

I remember saying, what is our goal? What are we trying to be? Mavro said. From the day that I started working with this team, my mindset was to teach these kids, teach our families what it means to be in a committed environment, what it means to work hard, and not have it be a revolving door of swimmers.

It started from the little things, such as establishing attendance requirements, holding team meetings with parents, getting age groupers to have their cap and goggles on before practices started, never-ending practice early unless it was absolutely necessary, and finding alternate pools instead of canceling practice when the Pavillion wasnt available.

Another thing that Mavro and Stewart had to do was put their egos asideeven though Mavro is the head coach, he mainly works with age groupers, while assistant coach Stewart works with the older swimmers in the National Team group. Thats a non-traditional arrangement, with most clubs assigning their head coach to their fastest group of athletes.I believe in assessing my own strengths. That 10 to 14-year-old level is where my biggest strength is, so why wouldnt I be in that group? I believe Ambers biggest strength is to really inspire kids to do the impossible on a daily basis, so why wouldnt she be in that group? Mavro said. It just made so much sense to me, and thats why were set up the way were set up, so everybody can focus on their strengths.

Every small step that Mavro and Stewart took helped build LVSC from the bottom up, and in the end, it culminated into a growing culture of commitment and hard work.

Soon enough, the work of Mavro and Stewart began to pay off. In 2018, LVSC qualified swimmers for Sectionals for the first time. In 2019, Jack Gallob became LVSCs first Summer and Winter Juniors qualifier. In 2022, Owen Carlsen committed to Utah as the clubs first Power 5 Conference commitand his brother Max is on track to becoming one of the top recruits in the class of 2025. The number of swimmers in LVSC grew to around 200 and held steady, which is in line with Marvo and Stewarts mission to create a team that is both serious about swimming but still has that small, family-based feel.

Thats what separates us, Mavro said. When youre right next to another gigantic team thats shown a lot of success, you really have to give your families reason to believe that theyre getting something special. We want to build an environment where people want to bea hard work environment where the expectations are high, but we do not have coaches that yell, make kids feel bad about themselves, any of those kids. Its really about inspiring the kids to want to do it for themselves.

Were not just trying to throw a bunch of kids in the pool and let the best athletes find their way. We are trying to develop every single athlete to the best they can be.

More is not always better, better is better, Stewart added, making a statement that is frequently repeated throughout the national group that she coaches.

With LVSC and SAND being located so close together, they sometimes share a pool and hold practices back-to-back. When Stewart first began coaching LVSCs national group, she noticed that her swimmers acted complacently in front of the SAND swimmers, standing aside and waiting for them to finish warm-down even though it was LVSCs practice time. After time, though, Stewart decided that the dynamic and mentality of her program needed to change.

One of the first major things that I did as a coach was [make it clear that] we get in the pool at 4:30, we get in on time, Stewart said. There was a little bit of friction in the beginning, but [SAND] became very respectful of that and realized oh, okay, theyre serious. They arent gonna stand around just because we have this extra 300 to do.

Again, it was little things like these that sent out a message that LVSC was no longer going to be the pushover, and that they deserved the same respect as any other established club. Even though Stewart and Marvo dont want the entire identity of their club to revolve around being next to the Sandpipers, they acknowledge that getting over the hurdle of being overshadowed by their neighbors is a big part of what makes LVSC the club that they are today.

In the early days of Stewart and Mavros coaching, the LVSC had always looked towards SAND, with discussions at board meetings constantly being about trying to emulate what SAND does. Over time, however, they learned how to both co-exist with their neighborhood giant, as well as build their own, distinct, identity in their presence.

My mindset was, were not Sandpipers, were LVSC. We dont need to do what they do, and frankly, were not gonna be able to compete with them that way, Mavro said.If were trying to build a mini-Sandpipers, why would a swimmer or a family ever stay with us when the Sandpipers are already there?

Beyond the fact that they are both located in Las Vegas, LVSC and SAND dont actually have much in common. SAND has over 500 swimmers, while LVSC is less than half its size. LVSC has a lower volume training philosophy than SAND. SAND does three doubles a week, LVSC doesnt do doubles during the school year because of pool availability issueswhich Mavro thinks acclimatizes swimmers to the training hour limits in the NCAA. Not all swimmers need the same thing, and LVSC offered families in the Las Vegas area an alternate option if their swimmers dont fit the Sandpiper lifestyle.

We are very different programs, Stewart said. With the approach that we have, which is different from theirs, we have kept swimmers in our program that probably would not have stayed swimming otherwise.

Besides some tension here and there, not much bad blood exists between LVSC and SAND. Mavro is good friends with Sandpiper age group coach Chris Barberthe two of them are open books, talking about practice strategy, training, and season planning whenever they see each other.

At the end of the day, Mavro and Stewart believe that having SAND right next to them ultimately makes LVSC a stronger club, and they are grateful for the challenges that come with it.

Having the Sandpipers right next to us holds us to an incredibly high standard, Mavro said. We cannot get away with making lazy choices. As much as it can be frustrating, it is our greatest motivator by far. Were better because were right next to them.

The teams [of Las Vegas] have quality staff that are working against each other, but they are also working to build a really fast swimming community.

Yeah, theres friction and frustration, but at the end of the day, were all here to support each other and make the world of swimming together. Stewart added.

Less than ten years after their rebuild, LVSC was seeing the kind of national-level success that some much older clubs havent experienced before. Prior to 2019, the club didnt know what coaching Junior National and DI-caliber swimmers was likethey ran headlong into a lot of firsts and learned by doing.

When Jack Gallob, LVSCs first Winter Juniors qualifier, came to the National Team group for the first time, he was instantaneously moved from the slowest lane to the fastest lane with no in-betweens. It became clear that he was a one-of-a-kind type of swimmer, and shortly thereafter, Stewart began giving him sets that nobody else in the club was capable of doing.

Initially, the transition for Gallob was challenging. In fact, he even complained to Stewart that his situation wasnt fair. But Stewart didnt buy it.

I told [him], I think what youre trying to do is say that the definition of fair is that everybody gets the same thing. Stewart said. But if thats the definition of fair that I abide by as a coach, then Im not doing a good job, because my definition of fair is that everybody gets what they need. And [he needed] something that [was] different from the rest of the athletes in the pool.

And he remembers that conversationit was really impactful, and a light bulb switched. I think he realized, oh, okay, I dont wanna get away with less. I wanna get away with what I can do and maximize what I can do.

Three years after swimming at his first winter juniors in 2019, Gallob is now set to swim at Indiana University-Purdue (IUPUI) starting in the fall of 2023. Since 2019, he has taken his 100 back personal best from 50.21 to 49.18 and his 200 back personal best from 1:50.15 to 1:47.56, amongst drops in other events.

After Gallob, the success train just kept on rolling at LVSC, with Owen Carlsen excelling in distance freestyle and committing to Utah, and Max Carlsen becoming the 8th-fastest 15-year-old of all-time in the 1000 free. Joe Christ came into LVSC with a 2:27 200 free and dropped down to a 1:39 by the time he was a senior and committed to Air Force. At the Carlsbad Sectionals in March 2023, LVSC won first place in the small team division.

Once Gallob reached heights that had never been attained before, it caused a domino effect.

Seeing [Gallob] do it makes that belief for the next group of kids, Mavro said. When you see your teammates do these sorts of things, it does help you with that belief so that when the coach sits down with you and looks at your individual goals, lets say its making futuresAmber [can say] well, I think your goals need to be a little more higher than that. Youve got more in you, youve seen your teammates do it.

Stewart said that she and Mavro discuss goals with all of their swimmers, trying to make them ambitious and realistic. After deciding upon what their goals are, those goals will then get laminated and put in the gear bags of swimmers so they can be reminded of them every day.

Increasing success also means greater chances of a swimmer competing at the highest level in college, which was also a hurdle that Mavro and Stewart had to overcome, as they had never experienced intense college recruiting until recently. However, just like with everything else, they adapted.

Stewart, who swam in college herself at Brigham Young University, used her own NCAA connections to help her swimmers in the recruiting process. Gallob had relatives who swam for Kentucky, and they came over to LVSC to speak about the college experience. Ben Loorz, the head coach of the University of Las Vegas-Nevada held a PowerPoint night at the Pavillion once. In addition, Stewart herself listened to swimming podcasts and exchanged ideas with other coaches on Facebook to familiarize herself more with recruiting.

Its not my forte by any means, but having relationships and being willing to reach out to coaches when coaches reach out to us and making sure that were responsive to them is [something that Im trying to be better at], Stewart said. Were kind of learning as we go.

However, arguably the best resource for LVSC has been Russell Mark, who is best known for being USA Swimmings former High Performance Manager, and who now works for the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA). Mavro knew Mark from their time together at the University of Virginia, and the two are close friends. Frequently, Mark analyzes the strokes and techniques of LVSC swimmers via videos that Mavro sends him, and provides LVSC with connections to the great swimming community.

For example, LVSCs national group got invited to an ASCA clinic via Mark, where they got to meet names like Ohio State head coach Bill Dorenkott, Virginia head coach Todd DeSorbo, as well as Mel Marshall, the coach of world record holder Adam Peaty. At that clinic, DeSorbo arranged a time with Mavro and Stewart where they would be able to travel to Virginia and come watch one of their practices.

Its random for a small team in Las Vegas to happen to have access to what I would consider the greatest swimming mind in this country, Mavro said. Without Russell, we would not be where we are. Everything Ive done in coaching and developing the kids is based on everything Ive learned from him, as far as stroke technique.

In the end, however, everything circles back to the values that Mavro and Stewart had wanted to ingrain in LVSC from the very beginning. Its not about the accolades, college commits, or timesits about developing a family-friendly culture, and for swimmers to grow into the best versions of themselves inside and outside the pool.

I cant say how proud I am of what weve been able to do with our program and what our programs athletes dobecause if they dont buy in then Im out of a job, Mavro said. You cant have a national group if you dont instill the tools that the kids need to be there in the first place. I want to see the kids succeed, but I want to see the kids fail and learn from it and learn how to take that next step.

One of the things we hear oftentimesis your kids are always so nice and respectful. And that thats always going to be mean more than me than your kids were so fast.

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More Is Not Always Better: How The Las Vegas Swim Club Rebuilt To The National Stage - SwimSwam

Sports betting, craps and roulette to begin at Seminole casinos – South Florida Sun Sentinel

On Thursday, for the first time ever, South Floridians will be able to walk into a Seminole Tribe casino and gamble on sports, roulette or craps.

An all-day celebration of the new era at the Hollywood and Coconut Creek casinos will roll out multiple red carpets and draw celebrities such as Jon Bon Jovi, DJ Khaled, Mike Tyson and Dwyane Wade. Guests will participate in ceremonial spins of the roulette wheel and rolls of the dice before heading to a VIP pool party DJd by Diplo.

Both casinos will be open to the gambling public in the meantime.

The tribe is pulling out all the stops after what appears to be a pause in two years of legal battles. Two lawsuits before the U.S Supreme Court and Florida Supreme Court seek to challenge the 2021 gaming compact between the tribe and the state that authorizes sports betting as well as craps and roulette. Both courts have recently ruled against suspending the compact while the lawsuits continue.

We certainly recognize that anyone could file additional lawsuits, Hard Rock Chairman Jim Allen told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Tuesday. But you know, the compact of 2021 is in place. It is legal, and we move forward.

The festivities will begin around 9:30 a.m. at the Seminole Classic Casino in Hollywood with a celebrity red carpet, followed by a first spin of the roulette wheel and roll of the craps dice about 10 a.m.

Celebrity participants for the morning event include Adamari Lpez, Willy Chirino, Adam Beach, Mannie Fresh, Jon Jay, Edgerrin James, Enrique Santos and Los Pichy Boys. They will join tribe and company leaders including Allen, Seminole Tribe Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr. and members of the Tribal Council.

The public will be allowed to gamble, roam the casino and sneak glimpses of celebrities during the events of the day. Once the inaugural ceremony is complete, they will also be able to play craps and roulette at the Hollywood casino.

Im sure a lot of people would have fun watching all the events that are going on, a Seminole Tribe spokesperson said Wednesday, but how close theyll be depends on how many people are there.

Both the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood and Coconut Creek casinos will look different with dozens of new tables and kiosks, as well as dealers and employees, a massive undertaking, Allen said.

More than 1,000 new employees have begun working throughout the states six Hard Rock casinos and at the gaming headquarters, Allen said.

The Hollywood casino will have 20 roulette tables, 10 craps tables and 38 sports betting kiosks, as well as 10 new sports betting agents so people can actually place bets with a human being, the tribe spokesperson said.

Some South Florida gamblers may think they have already played roulette and craps, but the casinos have only offered virtual alternatives that give the appearance of those games; they are technically slot machines using random number generators.

Those games will remain in addition to the new tables with real employees rolling the dice and spinning the wheels.

A similar schedule of events will take place at the Hard Rock Casino in Coconut Creek about 1 p.m. with a first spin of the roulette wheel and roll of the dice, which will mark the beginning of the games at that location.

Celebrities attending the Coconut Creek launch will include Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, Rob Riggle and Jacky Bracamontes. They will join Allen, Osceola Jr. and members of the Tribal Council.

The celebration will return for the grand finale at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood around 4:30 p.m. for the launch of sports betting and the arrival of A-list celebrities.

The list of celebrities currently includes Wade, Bon Jovi, Tyson, DJ Khaled, Tisto, Heather Graham, Fat Joe, Sarah Hyland, Willy Chirino, Max Weinberg, Bobbi Althoff, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model Brooks Nader and other surprise special guests.

The first in-person sports bet will take place sometime that evening, which will kick off sports betting throughout the casino. Attendees can also bet throughout the day on the mobile app.

Following the ceremony, Diplo will DJ a pool party for invited guests only. Bruno Mars will perform a sold-out show later in the night.

The celebrations will move to the giant Seminole Hard Rock in Tampa on Friday, though South Florida got them first because the guitar building is our most iconic, Allen said.

Beginning about 10:30 a.m. Friday morning, the Tampa location will have its own ceremony with Allen, Osceola Jr., other tribal leaders and celebrities including Thomas Rhett, Michael Carbonaro, Lele Pons, Marcus Allen and Joe Theismann.

On Monday, the games will begin at the Seminole casinos in Immokalee and Brighton.

Over the years, much attention good and bad has been paid to the return of mobile sports betting rather than in-person betting, craps and roulette. But Allen believes that the arrival of the in-person games will also excite people and serve as an inducement to tourism, especially from Latin America.

I know that our guests have been looking forward to them for many, many years, he said of the games, adding that roulette is extremely popular in areas of Central and South America, where many tourists come from.

Though the new additions likely will not transform Florida into the new Vegas, the news release said that the launch immediately puts Florida in the same league as the worlds great gaming destinations.

The tribe is continuing to advance its virtual business as well. The Hard Rock Bet app became accessible to all Floridians Tuesday, and on Thursday, local pari-mutuels will begin to offer their own sports betting apps as part of a hub and spoke system where a chunk of the revenues go to the tribe. Allen estimated about 16 companies seemed interested.

The legal battles, meanwhile, continue.

The lawsuit before the U.S Supreme Court will likely extend into spring, possibly longer if the court decides to review the case. Last week, the court granted a request for an extension to file a writ of certiorari, pushing it from Dec. 11 to Feb. 8, three days before the Super Bowl.

Also last week, attorneys for Gov. DeSantis filed a response motion asking the Florida Supreme Court to dismiss the second case. That case could conclude as soon as Christmas, only a few weeks after the launch of in-person betting and the expansion of the app.

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Sports betting, craps and roulette to begin at Seminole casinos - South Florida Sun Sentinel