Sands CEO Dumont Rules Out Casino at Proposed Dallas Mavericks Arena Site

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) CEO Patrick Dumont said the Dallas Mavericks’ quest for a new arena won’t include plans for a casino hotel.

In a recent interview with The Athletic, the gaming executive and governor of the NBA franchise said that even if Texas liberalizes its famously restrictive gaming laws, space constraints make it difficult to build a new NBA arena and an integrated resort at the desired site.

The Mavericks are aiming to construct a new sports and entertainment district at the former site of the Valley View Mall in North Dallas. The mall was demolished in 2023, and entities tied to the franchise control over 100 acres at the location. In November 2023, Dr. Miriam Adelson—Dumont’s mother-in-law and Las Vegas Sands’ largest shareholder—acquired a controlling 70% stake in the NBA team. Construction has not yet commenced, but Dumont aims for the new arena to open in time for the 2031-32 season, coinciding with the expiration of the team’s lease at American Airlines Center.

Casino on a ‘Different Timeline’

Sands and Adelson, the company’s largest individual shareholder, continue pouring millions of dollars into Texas politics in the hopes of compelling lawmakers there to soften stances on casino gaming. However, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R-Texas) remains firmly opposed to gambling expansion. Because Patrick controls the State Senate agenda, passing casino legislation faces steep hurdles in Austin.

That legislative stalemate underscores why Sands’ pursuit of a casino in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex operates on a far longer horizon than the arena project—a reality Dumont openly acknowledged.

“They (the arena and the casino plans) are on a different timeline anyway,” he told The Athletic. “It was my dream to do both next to each other. … We are going to have to think about the two separately, which is OK.”

Even without a casino, the Mavericks’ new arena is expected to drive an uptick in economic activity in the Valley View as plans indicate at least one high-end hotel and a smaller entertainment venue will join the NBA stadium.

Reaffirming Commitment to Dallas

Soon after the Adelson/Dumont consortium acquired the Mavericks, rumors surfaced that the families could relocate the franchise – speculation that was heightened by the trade of superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and Las Vegas’s well-known quest to land an NBA team.

Dumont put those rumors to rest, telling The Athletic that ownership is fully committed to keeping the team in North Texas. “The most important thing is that the Dallas Mavericks are going to stay in the city of Dallas,” Dumont said. “We just need a new home.”