EXCLUSIVE: Resorts World Could Push for Vegas NBA Arena

Posted on: June 21, 2025, 06:34h. 

Last updated on: June 21, 2025, 06:34h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.
  • Resorts World Las Vegas rumored to be interested in bidding for NBA arena
  • North Strip casino hotel has over 42 acres of unused land
  • NBA expansion could be in flux following Lakers sale

Resorts World Las Vegas, the $4.3 billion casino hotel at the north end of the Strip, could be making a push to develop an NBA arena should the league formally decide to expand in the US gaming hub.

Resorts World. Sources say the casino hotel could use some of its land bank for an NBA arena. (Image: Resorts World Las Vegas)

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, sources told Casino.org the Genting-owned property has long eye-balled using some of its 42 undeveloped Strip acres to entice an NBA expansion franchise to call part of that plot of land home. One of the sources indicated those ambitions have likely intensified since Jim Murren became chairman of the property last December.

R.J. Cipriani, also known as Robin Hood 702, said he dined with Murren, then the chief executive officer of MGM Resorts International, at Lago at the Bellagio in 2018, noting the executive expressed strong desire to be part of bringing an NBA team to Las Vegas.  Cipriani added that on a separate occasion at The Mansion at the MGM Grand, Murren told him MGM considered buying the Memphis Grizzlies or “another financially troubled” NBA franchise.

Two years later, Murren left the top spot at MGM to oversee Nevada’s COVID-19 response task force. He has clear basketball ties as he’s widely credited with bringing the NBA’s summer league to Sin City and steering MGM’s acquisition of the Las Vegas Aces, luring that WNBA team from San Antonio. The Aces, now owned by Raiders boss Mark Davis, are among the WNBA’s most successful and valuable teams.

Circus Circus Buy Possible, Too

As noted by one of the sources, there are possibilities relating Resorts World’s play for an NBA arena, including a potential purchase of nearby Circus Circus, which owner Phil Ruffin has indicated he’s looking to sell.

There’s a Murren tie-in there because he was CEO of MGM when the operator sold Circus Circus to Ruffin in 2019 for $825 million. That deal was announced on the same day the company said it would sell the Bellagio to a real estate entity controlled by private equity firm Blackstone Group for $4.25 billion. Ruffin has made clear he bought the casino hotel for the 102 acres of land that came with it, but Resorts World doesn’t necessarily need that property to build a home for an NBA team.

The Resort has over 42 acres of undeveloped land, which offers significant growth potential which few of its peers can match,” according to a 2023 statement issued by the integrated resort.

There are no assurances that Resorts World Las Vegas will be able to affect a deal for an NBA arena and the sources didn’t say such talks were underway. It’s common for some Strip operators to sit on unused land for extended periods of time, letting  the value appreciate while deliberating on next steps.

Lakers Sale Could Damp NBA Expansion Plans

In both the Las Vegas and NBA realms, one of the longest-running rumors is that Sin City will eventually become home to one of the association’s teams, but the Buss family’s sale of majority control of the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this week could figure prominently in the league’s expansion plans.

Investor Mark Walter is buying approximately 85% of the storied franchise, valuing the team at $10 billion. Some NBA observers believe that following the sales of the Boston Celtics and the Lakers, league owners will have limited appetite for expansion.

Under an expansion scenario, the NBA would almost certainly add two teams, presumably in Las Vegas and Seattle, and the new ownership groups could pay $3 billion or more to the league for those privileges. That would result in some nice upfront cash allocated to current owners, but over time, more teams dilute franchise valuations. Current governors are aware that scarcity and lack of availability are primary drivers of soaring team prices and that could be enough for the NBA to put the kibosh on expansion plans.