Mavericks Split New Arena From Casino Resort Plans
Dallas Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont says the team's planned new arena in North Dallas will now move forward separately from any future casino resort, abandoning an earlier vision of building both developments together on the same site.
Dumont, who is also chief executive of Las Vegas Sands, told The Athletic that the former Valley View Mall site does not have enough room for both an arena and an integrated resort. "To build what we want to build, there is not enough space. They won't fit," he said.
112-Acre District Targets The 2031-32 Season
The Mavericks are pursuing a sports and entertainment district on roughly 112 acres near Preston Road and the Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway, targeting the 2031-32 NBA season for the new arena.
A federal filing shows entities tied to the team have option-purchase agreements giving them until January 2028 to complete the land acquisition, paying $126,900 a month through January 2027, rising to $274,950 a month through January 2028, before a roughly $51 million purchase of the site.
"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. We need a home for the next 40 years that can really represent our city."
Texas Casino Push Still Depends On State Law
Dr. Miriam Adelson, Dumont's mother-in-law and Las Vegas Sands' largest individual shareholder, acquired a nearly 70 per cent stake in the Mavericks in 2023 from former majority owner Mark Cuban, who had floated combining a future arena with a destination regulated casino resort.
Dumont now expects the two projects to proceed on separate paths. "It was my dream to do both next to each other," he said. "We are going to have to think about the two separately, which is OK."
The Adelson and Dumont families remain interested in bringing casino gaming to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but that depends on changes to Texas law. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick remains opposed to broader gambling expansion and holds significant sway over the Texas Senate's agenda, making near-term casino legislation difficult.
Downtown Debate Continues
The Mavericks' lease at American Airlines Center expires in 2031; the Dallas Stars, who share the venue, have announced separate plans for a sports and entertainment district in Plano. Some Dallas business figures, including developer Ray Washburne, have criticized the North Dallas site over public transportation and density concerns, arguing a downtown location would deliver greater economic benefits.
Cuban retains a 27 per cent minority stake in the Mavericks and has previously pushed for the arena-casino combination, but with the land now under option and a 2031-32 opening targeted, Dumont's separate-paths approach looks set to guide the project regardless of when, or if, Texas lawmakers ever legalize destination casinos.
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