The Mavs are on the minds of the NBA Board of Governors
DALLAS - The Mavs are on the minds of the NBA Board of Governors.
They met Wednesday and started the process of allowing Mark Cuban to sell his majority stake in the team.
The sale would still allow Cuban to lead the team... But the potential new owners happen to be billionaire casino owners Miriam Adelson and the Las Vegas Sands Casino family.
RELATED STORY: Mark Cuban selling majority stake of Dallas Mavericks to Adelson family
He's also pushing for a new arena for the Mavs to play at and he wants it aligned with a casino resort.
Casino and sports betting are still not allowed in Texas, but lobbyists have been pushing to change that.
Mavs fans are already betting Cuban is ready to gamble on casino gambling eventually becoming legal in Texas.
"100% at the old Cowboy stadium and then that's what is going to happen," said Mavs fan Abraham Lopez.
Hmmm...
CBS News Texas confirmed the team's potential new owners are connected to an entity that bought more than 100 acres of land near the site of the former Texas Stadium in Irving.
Moving the Mavericks to Irving is something fan Matt Caskey doesn't want to see.
"It's going to take away a lot from the city, entertainment, a lot of good things from the community," Caskey said.
"They said no to lotteries for a long time too," Mavs fan Matt said. "So they follow the money. Yeah. So. There's a lot of money in casinos."
And Texans are taking that money on the road, by some estimates, anywhere from $5-8 billion a year.
"Right now, Texas is losing money by residents who go out of state," Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at SMU. "Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico for gambling... So a lot of those dollars could be kept here in the state."
As Dallas prepares to build a new convention center and entertainment district there's been talk of a potential casino resort becoming a part of those ambitious plans.
"Bring the casinos on - we don't want to have to drive to Oklahoma," Mavs fan Rafael Martinez said.
Rafael Martinez and his wife Debbie hope the team's buyers can eventually make it happen.
"We got to Oklahoma all the time, we'd rather stay in Dallas," Rafael Martinez said. "We make our money in Dallas, rather spend it in Dallas."
Visit Dallas tells CBS News Texas, "While it's too early to speculate, Visit Dallas welcomes additional exploration and discussion to expand entertainment options that will bring new jobs and visitor spending to Dallas."
For now, Cuban is keeping his cards close to his chest... But: Would you bet on Mark Cuban, though, as a businessman?
"Oh, you can't say no to success," said Mavs fan Matt. "He's a billionaire. He has a proven track record."
"Everyone loves him," Lopez said. "He can basically do what he wants."
Those familiar with the NBA voting process say it's a multi-step procedure that could take more than a day to complete, which is what we seem to be seeing here.
