The sale of the team reflects the growing relationship between professional sports and gambling

For years, professional sports organizations such as the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball have banned beverage companies from purchasing advertising in televised locations in stadiums and arenas, out of respect for efforts to combat drunk driving.

But in 2009, during the depths of the worst recession since the Great Depression, those same leagues were scrambling for cash as their biggest sponsors — automakers, banks and others — cut back on marketing. Suddenly they started signing multimillion-dollar contracts with companies that made rum, tequila, vodka and other spirits, and the advertising was displayed for all to see.

It was a sign that justifications can change seemingly overnight, especially when money is involved. The sports world was reminded of that last week when Miriam Adelson and her trust were sold $2 billion worth of stock in the Sands Corporation, a casino operator, to buy a professional sports team, which turned out to be the Dallas Mavericks. (The purchase must still be approved by the league’s board of directors before it becomes official.)

“The Adelson and Dumont families are honored for the opportunity to be stewards of this great franchise,” they said in a statement.

For decades, most major professional leagues largely kept the gaming world at bay. They banned players, referees and owners from sports gambling to protect game results from any hint of impropriety, a position that dated back at least a century to the famous Black Sox scandal of 1919.

Some leagues also prohibit owners from owning shares in casinos. In one case, Dan Rooney, principal owner of the National Football League’s Pittsburgh Steelers, had to do just that buying out his brothers’ share of the team because the brothers owned race tracks in New York and Florida. The NBA had no such rule and has had owners with ties to casinos, including Tilman Fertitta, the current owner of the Houston Rockets.

“If gambling is freely allowed at sporting events, normal incidents of the game such as bad snaps, missed passes, turnovers, penalties and play calling will inevitably fuel speculation, mistrust and accusations of point-shaving or game-fixing,” he said. the NFL commissioner. Roger Goodell, said in 2012.

But at a time when sports gambling — once done only in casino meccas like Las Vegas or through bookmakers — has been legalized in dozens of states, the leagues’ previous approach seems quaint. While restrictions remain in place for players, referees and owners betting on their own sports, gambling continues to be embraced by the mainstream sports world.

They have lifted restrictions on casino and sportsbook advertising in stadiums and on television. Some stadiums, such as FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, home of the NFL’s Washington Commanders, have sports books. Sports betting companies now plaster their names on stadium signs and buy TV commercials during games, including the Super Bowl, with a variety of promotions to attract new customers.

The leagues have also made a turnaround by operating in the home of sports betting, Las Vegas, which was off-limits for years. Now the National Hockey League, the Women’s National Basketball Association and the NFL have teams in the city. Last month, Major League Baseball owners unanimously approved allowing the A’s to leave Oakland for Las Vegas. The NBA, which has held All-Star games, summer leagues and a new season tournament in Las Vegas, could add an expansion team in the city in coming years, giving every major pro sport a team in a location where the leagues once hosted avoided.

“The leagues are constantly reevaluating their operations as laws change, social mores evolve and different companies and categories expand,” said Marc Ganis, advisor to numerous teams and leagues. “That includes looking at ownership rules, sponsorships and advertising.”

The NFL’s embrace of Las Vegas was perhaps the most surprising, given the league’s conservative reputation. The Raiders were approved to move to the city in 2017. The league has held the Pro Bowl and the college draft on The Strip. And in February, the league’s main event – ​​the Super Bowl – will be played in Las Vegas, perhaps removing the last vestige of any distance between the city and the city.

The reassessment of the competitions was both practical and strategic. The biggest breakthrough came in 2018 after the Supreme Court ruled that a law banning sports gambling in most of the country was unconstitutional. Dozens of states quickly approved legalizing sports betting, dwarfing the amount spent in Las Vegas. The NFL now allows owners to hold stakes in casinos that do not offer sports betting, although it prohibits owners from having more than 5 percent stakes in casinos that allow sports betting.

“Las Vegas is acceptable not so much because of us, but because gambling is now almost everywhere,” said Michael Green, a historian at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “The Strip is as legitimate as any major company.”

At the same time, Las Vegas’ image as a desert oasis with casinos and nightclubs under the thumb of the mob changed dramatically in the 1990s, when The Strip was transformed into an urban theme park where parents could take their children. Many visitors now come as often to see shows like U2 at the Sphere or the latest Cirque du Soleil spectacle as to visit the casinos.

And while Las Vegas is relatively small, with about 2.5 million residents in the region, it has been able to support teams like the Raiders and the NHL’s Golden Knights because the city is a year-round destination and about 40 million people pulls. tourists per year.

“A whole new demographic is being exposed to sports gambling by visiting Las Vegas,” said Jay Kornegay, vice president of Race and Sports Book Operations at Westgate Resorts.

Mr. Green noted that the Smith Center for the Performing Arts and the Mob Museum, both of which opened in 2012, also gave the city a touch of sophistication that had been lacking. He recalled how just 20 years ago the NFL blocked Las Vegas from buying ads during the Super Bowl, a decision that now seems outdated.

“Remind me,” he said, “where’s the next Super Bowl?”

Kevin Draper reporting contributed.