Las Vegas is one of the sporting centers of America. OK, so everyone wears leisure suits instead of pads, but you have to admit, they are indeed sporting. However, up until now, no major sporting leagues have chosen to put a franchise out there in Nevada.
Of course there are abundant sports fans in Las Vegas and elsewhere in the state of Nevada, but no franchises. Recently word is surfacing from various sources claiming that the National Hockey League, the free wheelingest bunch of them all, is seriously considering placing its next franchise right there in Las Vegas, in the middle of it all.
However, it remains unclear as to whether sports fans there in Vegas will even be able to place wagers on their home team, should they get one. After the UNLV scandals of a few years back, Nevada residents are no longer allowed to place bets on Nevada teams.
Solid evidence that this is more than a dream comes from the joint building venture between AEG and MGM Resorts to build a new arena in Las Vegas that will probably be open by 2016. There is a sufficiently large local market to support a major league sports franchise, plus the thousands of daily visitors coming to Las Vegas to keep any new club running in the black.
But still people are asking about being able to bet on games when their local franchise is playing. After all, this is professional sports and not some college game playing. The Nevada Gaming Commission and the National Hockey League would have to sit down together and work out a compromise before any team sets up there.
The wagers placed on NHL matches are just a drop in the bucket compared to football and basketball, but still, fans often like to place small five and ten dollar wagers on their home team, just for fun. Surely that would be a boast to attendance at the new arena when it gets built.
Currently the new arena is set to be constructed on the Strip behind New York, New York and the Monte Carlo and local fans, as well as tourists, would be able to go out and cheer on their team live at the match instead of inside some glitzy sportsbook.
There are already two smaller arenas on the MGM property with betting booths located right outside the door where such events as the Mayweather-Maidana fight are already scheduled for this fall.
