There isn’t a sports arena in North America with a tighter schedule these days than American Airlines Center.
Crews have worked around the clock to turn the basketball court to ice and accommodate the chaos of simultaneous conference final runs by the Dallas Stars and Dallas Mavericks, the two teams that call the building home.
The building at 2500 Victory Ave. is just a combined 10 wins away from becoming the first to host two championship-winning teams in the same season. It’s already the first in 21 years to host two conference finalists.
But as the spotlight shines on the arena currently at the center of the sports world, its uncertain future looms.
Just six months ago, Mark Cuban sold his majority stake in the Mavericks to billionaire Miriam Adelson and Patrick and Sivan Dumont of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., one of the biggest casino operators in the world. The deal was a step toward Cuban’s plans to build a resort-casino arena for the Mavericks in partnership with the Adelson family if gambling is legalized in Texas.
“We believe very strongly that there’s an opportunity to develop destination resorts in the state of Texas,” new Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont told The Dallas Morning News in a February interview. “When that does happen, there might be an opportunity for us to build a brand new arena for the Mavericks as part of an entertainment complex that’s large-scale in a destination resort.”
But the Mavericks aren’t the only team with a home locker room at American Airlines Center. If new arena plans pan out, the Stars will feel the impact.
All recent signs point to the Stars wanting to stay at American Airlines Center. The team cemented Mike Modano in history, unveiling his statue on PNC Plaza outside the arena just two months ago. Ahead of the season, the Stars and Mavs invested $20 million in upgrades to the video board and seats, and they’ve discussed making additional renovations before the lease expires in 2031.
But as much as continuing to call American Airlines Center home is a priority for the Stars, so is remaining partners with their housemates, which could entail a move down the line.
“The hope and the plan is to remain partners with the Mavericks,” Stars president and CEO Brad Alberts told The News last month. “That’s what we think is in the best interest of both franchises, the city and the sports fans of Dallas.”
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A sale that shook the city
Alberts said he wasn’t made aware of Cuban’s plans to sell the Mavericks ahead of the November deal, but once he learned the details, he wasn’t surprised.
In a December 2022 interview, Cuban told The News: “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. That’s the mission.”
It makes sense that less than a year later he’d sell his team to Adelson, the widow of Sheldon Adelson, the corporation’s founder, chairman and CEO, and her son-in-law Dumont.
The Adelson family had been involved in the push to legalize gambling in Texas before purchasing the Mavericks. Miriam Adelson has spent over $4 million to support lawmakers like state Reps. Dade Phelan and John Kuempel who are in favor of gambling legalization, according to Transparency USA, an organization that collects data on political contributions. She spent another $1 million to support Gov. Greg Abbott’s reelection campaign in 2022.
Sands also established the Texas Destination Resort Alliance in 2021, which is now backing a petition to legalize gambling in the state. The corporation additionally backed legislation last session that would have allowed for destination casino resorts.
“I was surprised,” Alberts said. “I didn’t see an outright sale by Mark coming, but the fact that they bought it did not shock me.”
Alberts told The News the Stars have not been directly involved in any of the Mavericks’ plans to develop a resort casino arena but said he still believes it’s early in the process.
“Mark did not really consult with us on any of those plans. I’m personally intrigued by the concept. It’s interesting. But we’ll just see,” Alberts said. “There’s a lot of things that have to happen for that to become a reality.
“The Stars remain committed to the American Airlines Center. We want to play there in the short term. We want to play there in the long term. And we’ve stated that publicly. And we’ve also stated that to Patrick Dumont that that’s our preference.”
Alberts and Dumont have developed a strong relationship in their short time as colleagues. When Dumont attended his first Mavericks game in Dallas on Feb. 12, his first meeting at American Airlines Center was with Alberts. Both expressed an intention to continue to work together as future arena plans develop.
“We get along very well,” Dumont told The News last month. “I really value the partnership. I value their approach. I value how thoughtful they are, how much they care for the city and how much they want to provide a great fan experience.”
Ultimately, the fan experience is at the heart of any plans the teams are discussing. It’s why they combined for a significant investment in the offseason and could make additional renovations before 2031.
Some may see another major investment as a sign the teams intend to stay at American Airlines Center past the lease term, but Dumont said upgrades don’t close the door on the casino-arena dream.
“I don’t think the two are related,” he said. “I think this is our home for the foreseeable future. We want to work with the Stars to create the best fan experience that we can. We want to invest in Dallas, and we want to show that we’re serious about our commitment. And if there’s a new arena in the future, we’ll look forward to dealing with it at that time.”
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A new era in professional sports
While the Mavericks have been more outspoken advocates for sports gambling in Texas, the Stars have been just as supportive of legislative change.
Both teams, alongside every major professional sports team in the state, are a part of the Sports Betting Alliance, a coalition of teams and betting platforms that backs pro-gambling legislation to allow Texans to vote on whether to undo the state’s ban on sports betting. Alberts said a lobbyist in Austin has worked on their behalf through the last two legislative sessions, and they’re preparing for another next year.
“We certainly are big proponents of trying to get sports betting passed,” Alberts said. “Our position with the majority of the other team is if people want to bet, they can bet on sports. They’re doing it technically illegally or offshore anyway and the state’s not making any of that money. We might as well allow the state to capture that revenue and better their economic situation by legalizing it as opposed to not.”
Beyond the state’s benefit, Alberts sees sports betting as a way to grow his own team’s fan base.
With the uncertainty around TV revenue amid Bally Sports’ bankruptcy, sports gambling could both increase the Stars’ fan base and offer new revenue opportunities that are simply untapped in Texas.
“How everybody watches sports and how we as the content holder gets paid, the economics around that are going through a fundamental change,” Alberts said. “There’s pressure around that. Sports betting could absolutely enhance the viewing experience from a fan perspective and also help us make up for some of the lost revenue we could potentially be facing in the new world of television.”
Being a strong proponent of sports betting doesn’t necessarily mean supporting brick-and-mortar casinos and building an arena around one, but for the Mavericks, that could be the path they follow.
An obvious barrier remains: Gambling is not yet legal in Texas.
For that reason, Alberts wouldn’t speculate on whether the Stars could afford the American Airlines Center lease alone if the Mavericks moved, nor would he say whether the Stars would follow the Mavericks outside of the city of Dallas if only the suburbs could accommodate the facility they hope to build.
But the Stars’ intention of staying linked to the Mavericks is clear.
“From our perspective, what we don’t want and what we don’t believe is good business for anybody is to have two arenas in the city,” Alberts said. “We remain committed to what we feel is a very promising partnership with the Mavericks. We’re excited about the short-term improvements that we’re working on at the arena. And long term, we again want to be partners with Patrick and his team and the Mavs into whatever comes down the road whether it’s an arena with a casino or not.”
In a matter of weeks, American Airlines Center could be home to two champions. The building is closer to that feat than ever in its 23 years.
But the next few years will determine whether the banners potentially hung next fall will be there to stay — or if the 2024 playoffs will forever be known as the arena’s peak.
Staff writer Brad Townsend contributed to this report.
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