Leading the charge in many ways for gaming legalization in Texas, the new Mavericks ownership regime has an uphill battle for overall state approval. Per a recent article from the Fox affiliate in Dallas, new Dallas Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont, part of two families with casino ties that bought the club late last year, says the timing is uncertain for when legalized gambling might come to Texas. Dumont was also quoted as saying, the timing doesn’t matter as it relates to prospects for a new arena that would include a casino. This is because his family and that of the widow of Las Vegas Sands Corp. founder Sheldon Adelson are committed to Dallas long-term.
For this article, SBS will be going over what to look for from the latest gaming news coming from the Lone Star State along with some additional notes and insights regarding gaming there.
Per the same article, the Mavericks governor stressed some key elements of their strategy. “We’re patient,” Dumont said earlier this month in his first meeting with reporters since the December purchase, a few hours before the Mavs faced elimination in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against Boston. “We think long-term. We are not people who think in the short term.” Dumont, as regular readers of this space are no doubt aware, is the son-in-law of Miriam Adelson, who is still the majority shareholder in Las Vegas Sands even after selling $2 billion in stock to take majority ownership of the Mavericks from Mark Cuban.
Noted in the article, for the first few months after the $3.5 billion purchase, Dumont and Adelson were occasional courtside visitors at home games. As the club surged into the playoffs and won three series to reach the Finals for the first time in 13 years, Dumont became a constant presence. The new Mavs governor, who resides in the Las Vegas area, was joined from time to time by his mother-in-law.
“This has been a hard-fought year, a hard-fought playoffs, for all the road that we had to go through,” Dumont said of the Mavs, who were fifth in the Western Conference and have been the lower seed in all four postseason series. “It’s been unbelievable to be a part of, but really we’re looking to the future as well.”
Cuban, outspoken with a hands-on approach in his nearly 24 years as owner, is the alternate governor now, the report specifies. The 65-year-old still attends just about every game and still sits close to the Dallas bench. After the sale was completed, Cuban said he would have a strong voice in basketball operations. However, he was not quoted in news releases announcing recent contract extensions for general manager Nico Harrison and coach Jason Kidd. As NBA fans know, the Mavs went from one of the worst franchises in sports in the 1990s to perennial playoff qualifiers under Cuban, winning the franchise’s only championship in 2011.
Cuban was honored by the Adelson family at a 2017 gala in Las Vegas and Miriam Adelson spoke highly of him at the event. “I’ve known Mark for a really long time,” Dumont said without addressing the specifics of Cuban’s role in basketball decisions. “And he and I have always had a great relationship – so I love having him involved with the team. I think his record stands for itself. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said his sense that the ownership change and the relationship between all parties “is going very well.”
Per the article, casino gambling faces significant obstacles in Texas because leaders of the Republican-controlled state Legislature say they don’t believe most voters want gambling. Therefore it isn’t a high priority for lawmakers. While proposals in the most recent legislative session in 2023 went further than before, there’s still a long way to go. The Legislature meets every other year, which means there are four more regular sessions before the lease at American Airlines Center expires in 2031.
“When we bought the Mavericks, we weren’t really thinking about casino gaming,” Dumont said. “Dallas is a great community. It’s a growing economy. It’s very positive for business. So when we had the opportunity for Mark with the Mavericks, that was an easy decision.”
Dumont did say though he believes the region is somewhat lacking as a tourist destination. While Las Vegas Sands no longer has casino operations in the Nevada desert, it has five properties in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau and one in Singapore. A major player in the Republican Party, Adelson pumped more than $2 million last year into a political action committee, called Texas Sands, which donated lavishly to state legislators and swarmed the GOP-controlled state Capitol with lobbyists.
After you are all squared away in relation to the latest notes and news coming from the Lone Star State, make sure to tap into the awesome array of information available to you at SBS. Of course, for even more information on the topic covered, make sure to check out the sports betting in Texas guide that goes over all kinds of fantastic updates from the area. Moreover, for those intrigued by the other topic somewhat touched on here, you should bookmark the NBA betting sites breakdown. On this page, you can learn more about the latest NBA betting markets and be ready for when the season starts. Finally, for those on the go, a must-bookmark page is the payment methods rundown which goes over a ton of fantastic info for deposits and withdrawals from cryptocurrencies to more traditional banking routes.
About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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