Betting Odds: Next Las Vegas Major Sports Team

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently indicated the league is not rushing into a decision about expanding into cities like Las Vegas.

This raises a question about which will begin regular season play first in Las Vegas: Major League Baseball or the NBA?

Years ago, the Oakland Athletics and Utah Jazz played some regular season games in the Las Vegas Valley, but the area some day could have full-time teams in two major pro sports that aren't there yet — NBA basketball and Major League Baseball. Baseball's Athletics have a head start. The team is expected to make their home in Las Vegas in three years.

Positioning itself as the world’s sports capital, Las Vegas already is home to the NFL’s Raiders, NHL’s Golden Knights and WNBA’s Aces. In addition, the valley hosts the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix, UNLV college athletics and other sports.

The sports culture in Las Vegas is enhanced by major sportbooks like those at Circa Resort and the Westgate hotel-casino.

Though FanDuel doesn’t have a mobile app in Nevada, the company operates an in-person sportsbook inside the Fremont hotel-casino in downtown Las Vegas, just down the street from Circa Resort. Other major brands operate in-person and mobile sportsbooks in Nevada, including BetMGM Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook and more.

Mavs Not Leaving Dallas: Reports

In a story on its website in December, The Athletic noted that Las Vegas and Seattle are thought to be likely destinations for NBA expansion teams, but the league has not begun accepting bids from cities.

“We’re not having a discussion between these specific groups right now, including here in Las Vegas,” Silver said during the NBA Cup Finals in Southern Nevada.

A few proposals for an NBA Arena in Las Vegas have surfaced, including one at the north end of the Strip. However, Silver’s recent expansion remark indicates the city might not get a team for a while.

The NBA's Dallas Mavericks, controlled by the family of Miriam Adelson of Las Vegas Sands Corp., do not plan to relocate to Southern Nevada, according to reports.

Adelson and minority Mavericks owner Mark Cuban are said to want an arena-casino complex in North Texas if commercial casinos are approved in the state. 

Texas legislators are expected to consider gaming expansion when they meet in Austin for the 2025 session, though approval is considered a long shot next year. Million-dollar bettor Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, a Houston furniture store owner, told Gambling.com gaming expansion in Texas is unlikely in the near future in part because of resistance from religious factions.

Politics could complicate the matter in other ways. Adelson is a major supporter of Republican Donald Trump, while Cuban opposed Trump during the 2024 election in support of Democrat Kamala Harris. It is unclear how these national alliances will play in Texas.

At the same time, some in Las Vegas question whether a Major League Baseball stadium will be built at the former site of the Tropicana hotel-casino in time for the Athletics to begin play there in 2028 as planned. Team officials recently said the funding is expected to come through for the stadium.

The former Oakland Athletics — now just the “Athletics” — are set to play east of the Bay Area at a minor league ballpark in Sacramento for three seasons until the Las Vegas stadium in ready.

The Tropicana, once a Mob-linked resort, was demolished in October. That site near Harry Reid International Airport is vacant for now.

Will Baseball Or The NBA Come First?

Which of these leagues will have a team playing regular season games in Las Vegas first?

• Major League Baseball:  +150
• NBA:  +1000

Projected odds set by Gambling.com are not currently available at legal sports betting sites.