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FLORIDA LIVING

Casino regulars at the Hard Rock are lucky in love

 

Donna and Peter Kane have been to the Hard Rock casino almost every day since it opened more than five years ago.
Donna and Peter Kane have been to the Hard Rock casino almost every day since it opened more than five years ago.
MIKE STOCKER / SUN SENTINEL

Sun Sentinel

They hit the slots on the Hard Rock's opening day, and they've kept pushing their luck almost every day since.

But when it comes to love, they've already hit the jackpot.

Saturday marks a triple milestone for Peter and Donna Kane. He turns 71. She turns 81. And it's the Dania Beach couple's sixth wedding anniversary.

Everybody on the casino floor knows the Kanes.

``Donna can't walk five feet without stopping to give someone a hug,'' Peter says.

They weave through the slots holding hands and always pick machines within eyesight of each other.

``I hope my wife and I are that way when we reach that age,'' says Josh Crowder, casino marketing director at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. ``You can just tell they think the world of each other.''

Other than when they've been away for short trips, and Donna's bout with bronchitis in 2008, the Kanes say they've hit the casino every day since it opened on May 11, 2004.

``I should get a perfect attendance pin,'' Donna says, waving off her misses. ``Everyone gets sick days and vacation time.''

The Kanes met through friends. She was a widower. He was divorced.

Neither was looking for love, but they went out anyway, to a penny arcade -- ``somewhere safe,'' Donna says.

``When's your birthday?'' he asked.

``Sept. 19,'' she said. ``Yours?''

``I don't believe it,'' he said.

They each got chills.

They doubled down on Sept. 19, 2003, reciting their wedding vows at the Hollywood Courthouse under a white arch with flowers.

They play games such as Flaming Sevens, White Orchid and Black Knight, using their savings to handle daily win-loss swings of up to $1,000.

If they win, they keep playing. If not, they go sit by the pool for a while or snack at the Plum Room or the Blue Plate. For Sunday brunch, it's the Council Oak.

``I don't know what retired people did before casinos,'' Peter says.

Last Sept. 19 included champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries and a night at the Hard Rock Hotel, compliments of the management.

``We made them take it,'' Crowder says. ``Because even though they play a lot, they don't ask for anything. Very low-maintenance.''

There's a reason for that, Donna says.

``We have everything we need,'' she says.

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