Though Las Vegas "is still a long way from landing a
major pro sports franchise," Mayor Oscar Goodman said the
possibility of a downtown arena in the city is "alive and
kicking" after he met with NBA Commissioner David Stern and
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in N.Y. yesterday. Goodman
told Tony Batt of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL that his idea
of building a downtown arena "could have died Tuesday if the
commissioners had flatly rejected his overtures," and he
said he plans to "continue his dialogue" with both leagues.
But Stern and Bettman did make it "clear" that their leagues
"have no immediate plans to expand or relocate." Batt
writes that one trouble spot for Las Vegas is the NBA policy
that would "require" NV's sports books to "give up" wagering
on all NBA games if the city gets a team. While Stern said
that league owners "have not discussed" the betting policy
in five years, they may "revisit" the issue at the next
league meeting on October 28. Stern added that no team is
"chomping to move to Las Vegas." Meanwhile, Batt notes that
Goodman "seemed more upbeat" regarding his talks with
Bettman, who admitted that while he didn't say "no" to
Goodman, he "didn't say yes, either." Bettman "appeared
more open to the idea" of only prohibiting betting on games
involving a Las Vegas franchise (REVIEW-JOURNAL, 9/29).
WILL CASINOS GO ALONG WITH THIS? Goodman: "There's no
objection whatsoever as far as Las Vegas as a city, which is
great news. There's a historic problem as far as gambling
is concerned." Goodman said that he will discuss the issue
of removing NBA and NHL wagering with Las Vegas' casinos
(Soshnick & Bloom, BLOOMBERG NEWS, 9/29).