Mavericks Co-Owner Patrick Dumont Has Patience for Casino-Enabling Legislation in Texas

Posted on: June 18, 2024, 06:06h. 

Last updated on: June 19, 2024, 10:03h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

The Dallas Mavericks lost a heartbreaking NBA championship game to the Boston Celtics on Monday, but Mavericks co-owner Patrick Dumont is still hopeful his team will win a future championship — and even score another sought-after victory — a casino resort in Texas.

Dumont, who’s president and COO of Las Vegas Sands (LVS), as well as Miriam Adelson’s son-in-law, is the new majority owner of the Mavericks, along with Adelson.

“When we bought the Mavericks, we weren’t really thinking about casino gaming,” Dumont told reporters on Friday.

“Us buying the team had nothing to do with getting gambling in Texas,” Dumont said. “Las Vegas Sands has been looking in Texas way before we ever knew we were going to buy the team.”

“Now, if there ever comes a time where those two things converge and there’s common interest there, and it makes sense, then we’ll pursue it,” he added. “But for now, I’m very focused on the Dallas Mavericks doing the things that are right for the Mavericks and Las Vegas Sands is very focused on doing things that are right for Las Vegas Sands.”

LVS continues to show perseverance and patience as it lobbies for casino legislation.

“We think long term. We’re not people who think in the short term,” Dumont said. “We’re patient … Over time, hopefully, we’ll be successful.”

Experts Weigh In

“Patience is a virtue, especially in the politics of the state legislature,” Brandon Rottinghaus, a political scientist at the University of Houston, told Casino.org when asked about Dumont’s comments on casino legislation.

“Major legislative changes are always a waiting game in the Texas legislature,” he added. “This is especially true when it comes to gambling, which has both moral and economic impacts on the state.”

Rice University professor Mark P. Jones added that Dumont ideally would like to see destination resort casino legislation passed during the 2025 legislative session.

“Dumont has good reason to believe that at some point this decade destination resort casino legislation will pass out of the Texas Legislature and be approved by voters,” Jones told Casino.org.

That political achievement could be combined with a Mavericks’ championship and a new home complex in Dallas.

“If the Mavericks return to the NBA Championship in 2030, those games will quite possibly be played in a new arena located within the complex of one of the largest and most impressive destination resort casinos in the world, courtesy of the Las Vegas Sands,” Jones said.

Political Positions

During the 2023 legislative session, LVS and other casino supporters got much-needed support from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, R, and House Speaker Dade Phelan, R.

“It is always possible that the lieutenant governor and the Republican senators could change their position vis-a-vis casino gambling, if not in 2025, then in 2027,” Jones said. Perhaps their positions could change if the state faces a budget crisis, he added.