Mavericks CEO Says No Casino Will Be Part of the Team’s New Dallas Arena and Entertainment District

Dallas Mavericks CEO Rick Welts has put an end to speculation about whether a casino might be part of the team’s ambitious new arena development project. In a statement to The Dallas Morning News, Welts said the group had “no casino component to our current plans” and that those plans would “stay consistent” going forward. The statement represents the most direct and categorical denial yet from team leadership and effectively takes gaming off the table for the arena project, which includes a new arena, team headquarters, practice facility, hotel, and retail and dining components.

The clarification comes in a context where the Mavericks’ ownership structure has been linked to broader Texas gambling advocacy. Several stakeholders with financial interests in the team have expressed support for legalizing casino gaming in Texas, and Las Vegas Sands has separately invested heavily in a long-running effort to convince the Texas Legislature to authorize casinos. The scale and profile of the Mavericks’ planned entertainment district naturally raised questions about whether a casino anchor might be part of the mix, particularly given ownership’s known positions on gaming expansion.

Why Keep the Arena Casino-Free

Welts’ decision to explicitly separate the arena project from any gaming element reflects the practical realities of developing a major sports venue in a state where casino gaming remains illegal. Texas has no commercial casinos, and any effort to legalize them requires a state constitutional amendment that must first pass the Legislature with a two-thirds supermajority and then be approved by voters statewide. That is a politically and logistically high bar, and attaching a casino to an arena project that needs near-term city approvals and community support would add significant risk and opposition to what is otherwise a sports and entertainment development with broad appeal.

By keeping the arena project cleanly separated from gaming, the Mavericks can pursue it on an independent timeline while ownership members work through legislative and lobbying channels to advance casino legalization as a separate cause. This kind of strategic separation is common among sports franchise owners who have real estate and gaming interests in markets where the two are not yet aligned legally or politically.

Texas Gambling Expansion Continues

The Mavericks’ arena decision does not dampen the broader push for gambling legalization in Texas. Sports betting advocates including major operators continue to lobby for a framework that would allow legal wagering in the state, which remains the largest US state without legal sports betting. Residents who currently travel online or to neighboring states to place legal bets continue to represent an enormous untapped market. For a full breakdown of where things stand, our Texas Sportsbooks page covers the current legal landscape and what bettors should know as legislation evolves.