Mark Cuban Envisions New Mavericks Arena As Centerpiece Of Vegas-Style Casino And Resort

Dallas Mavericks governor Mark Cuban hasn’t been shy about speculating about the future home of the NBA team he owns. While the Mavericks currently play in the American Airlines Center, about a mile north of downtown Dallas, Cuban envisions the team’s future digs as a bigger and grander destination than a simple arena.

Cuban now sees a new Mavericks arena as a potential economic driver for the city and state as the centerpiece of a Las Vegas-style casino and resort located in the heart of Dallas.

“My goal, and we’d partner with Las Vegas Sands, is when we build a new arena, it’ll be in the middle of a resort and casino,” Cuban told The Dallas Morning News. “That’s the mission.”

There’s just one slight problem. Sports betting and casinos are currently illegal in the state of Texas. It would take an act of the state legislature and voters’ approval to become legal statewide. It’s a tall order.

Still, state lawmakers are already working to move forward with legislation that would amend the state constitution to put legalized gambling and casinos on the ballot as early as November 2023.

Texas State Senator Carol Alvarado of Houston filed a resolution to create a Texas Gaming Commission to regulate sports betting and issue licenses for up to four casino and resort destinations in the state’s major metropolitan areas.

“I welcome him to the arena of this discussion,” Alvarado told The News. “Having somebody like Mark Cuban on board certainly gives a boost of enthusiasm to the effort. Hopefully, he’ll use his clout and resources to help get us across the finish line.”

Cuban’s insistence to partner with the Las Vegas Sands Corporation may help smooth the path for any legislation if it gets out of committee. The Sands’ founder, Sheldon Adelson, was a big financial supporter of Texas Governor Greg Abbott until he died in 2021. His wife, Miriam, continues to contribute to the governor.

Legal and political hurdles aside—and there are many, including Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and his aversion to gambling—Cuban sees dollar signs. A risk taker himself—he most recently bet big on cryptocurrency and lost—Cuban understands that an arena tied to a casino and resort is a windfall for business.

“Obviously, it’s got to pass the Legislature, and I’m not the politician to know all the elements there. But you’re talking about billions of dollars in revenue,” Cuban told The News. “And it won’t be one of those things, I don’t think, where you ask the city and state for concessions. It’s more about, ‘This is going to generate a ton of revenue.’”

The Mavericks’ 30-year lease to play at the American Airlines Center expires on July 28, 2031. That gives Cuban and the Mavericks eight and a half years to figure out whether building and moving to a new arena is feasible.

With the possibility of voters approving casino gambling and sports betting in less than a year, the prospect of the Mavericks at the heart of a casino and resort destination reminiscent of Las Vegas becomes even more enticing.

A lot of pieces will have to fall into place if Cuban’s latest vision is to become a reality, though. For now, the Mavericks’ boisterous owner is biding his time.

“It’ll take seven years to do everything right, so 2024 is when we’ve got to make a decision,” Cuban told The News. “There’s no rush yet. There’s no urgency at all.”