Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman will meet with NHL
Commissioner Gary Bettman and NBA Commissioner David Stern
today in N.Y., according to Steve Carp of the LAS VEGAS SUN,
who wrote that Goodman "has acknowledged these meetings as
key to the future of the proposed downtown arena project."
Goodman: "There are two questions -- one, whether the
leagues have a problem with an arena being built here and
two, the leagues' position on gambling. I don't know if
they have a major problem with the sports books. From my
perspective, gambling shouldn't be a stumbling block. Las
Vegas is unblemished as far as gambling is concerned. It's
a regulated and controlled industry." Goodman said that he
"has been impressed" with Padres Owner John Moores, who will
accompany him to N.Y. In "preparation for these meetings"
Goodman "picked the brain" of Mirage Resorts Chair Steve
Wynn and Lakers VP Jerry West (LAS VEGAS SUN, 9/27).
TAKING A GAMBLE: In Toronto, Rosie DiManno, on Las
Vegas' quest: "It's unlikely the rigidly anti-gambling,
anti-lottery Stern would ever allow the NBA to soil itself
by planting a team in Vegas. But Bettman is not quite so
sanctimonious. And frankly, the NHL has to try harder to
capture the imagination of an American populace distracted
by dizzying sports options" (TORONTO STAR, 9/27). USA
TODAY's Michael Hiestand writes that the NBA "has a long
history of opposing the spread" of sports gambling. Stern:
"We believe most of our fans are basketball fans, not fans
of point spreads. Having fans go home unhappy because their
team hasn't covered the spread is not the business we're
in." Meanwhile, NHL Senior VP/Legal Affairs Bill Daly said
his league "has no plans to expand or teams wanting to
relocate." Daly: "There's obviously nothing we can offer
[Las Vegas] one way or the other" (USA TODAY, 9/28).