During Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson's annual roundtable meeting with the Dallas Area Chamber of Commerce, the topic of selling the Dallas Mavericks from the Las Vegas Sands to Miriam Adelson came up. The mayor said those promoting casino gambling in the city need to talk to the City Council as well as the state Legislature.
The Adelson and Dumont families have already spent millions of dollars to bring casino gaming to Texas. They join Cuba's efforts to bring resort-style casinos to North Texas. The mayor told the crowd that if the location is in Dallas, the City Council also needs to be consulted.
“The people I sit around the horseshoe with every day, I guarantee you that you have to have a say in where you build a casino in the city of Dallas. As to whether we can build or not,” Johnson said.
Building a large building requires city permits, construction, road closures, and a lot of red tape. The mayor is skeptical the bill will even go that far, since the conservative Legislature has not previously expanded gambling to include table games like poker and blackjack.
“Ultimately, whatever happens there, let's say one day casino gambling is legalized, it's not something that just happens because the legislature says it can happen,” Johnson said. .
The NBA must approve the $3.5 billion acquisition by Miriam Adelson and her son-in-law, Patrick Dumont, and is expected to do so this week.
Days after the deal became public, Mr. Adelson was already in Austin to speak at the annual conference of the influential Texas Business Association.
“The commercial relationship between Texas and Israel is really burgeoning, and it goes deeper than basketball, even though my family is huge Dallas Mavericks fans,” Adelson said. .
Construction of a new casino resort would likely bring hundreds of construction jobs, millions in economic development, and enhance the tourism and entertainment reputation of the Dallas-Fort Worth region, which is centered around Arlington's many sports complexes. Dew.
“When I think of a lot of places I'd like to save up for a vacation, Texas isn't one of them,” Mark Cuban said. dallas morning news. “You save up money but there's no real destination. That's a problem, and I think resort games will have a big impact.”
Even if the sale goes through, Cuban will continue to run the team. The sale could be approved by the NBA Board of Governors this week.
“My goal is to partner with Las Vegas Sands, when we build a new arena, it's in the middle of the resort and the casino,” Cuban said. dallas morning news. “That's the mission.”
Johnson said any major projects are out of the question.
“I haven't been asked, Mark Cuban and his business associates haven't come to me,” Johnson said.
Johnson said future conversations will be similar to the conversations in Frisco when Universal brought an entertainment complex to the Collin County City Council, asking, “Who's coming to Frisco? Who are we bringing with us? “That's something that's been talked about for a long time,” he said.
NBC 5 and Universal share the same parent company, Comcast.
Historically, the Texas Legislature has opposed expanding gaming to Tier III, which would allow casino games such as blackjack, roulette and poker. Currently, the three major casinos in Texas run by Native American tribes have machines like bingo and slots.
This year, the Texas House held an unusual floor vote on the issue, passing the 100 votes needed for sports betting but falling several votes short for expanding casino gaming. Two-thirds of both chambers must approve gambling products before they can be sent to voters in a statewide election to make a final decision.
Many onlookers and lawmakers believe Mr. Adelson's proximity to Texas politics and business will only help their cause. She will join organizations like the Texas Sports Betting Alliance, which includes Cuban Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, and former Gov. Rick Perry as a spokesperson.
