Las Vegas Sands Corporation pulls casino-style gaming from proposal ahead of Irving City Council vote
As the Irving City Council was set to talk about a contentious issue Thursday night – whether or not to allow the construction of a destination resort, the Las Vegas Sands Corporation announced it is pulling the casino-style gaming component until they gain traction on the state level.
"At this time, given the status of gaming legislation in this state, and concerns spoken in meetings, Sands has asked the City of Irving to remove the destination resort and gaming component from the proposal initially sent to you," said Mark Boekenheide, the Senior Vice President for the Las Vegas Sands Corporation.
The corporation asked city leaders to vote on the rest of the proposal.
The Sands Corporation released the following statement to CBS News Texas:
"The City of Irving has long viewed this parcel of land as a valuable development asset and has explored ways to maximize that development, including the option to create a multi-billion-dollar destination resort should the gaming laws in Texas change. As part of what is certainly an open and ongoing process, our company appreciates the opportunity to share a vision of what a destination resort could look like in Irving or elsewhere in the Metroplex. We value input from all stakeholders, and we were pleased to receive approval from the Irving planning and zoning commission to move forward with our plans. At this time, given the current status of gaming expansion legislation in the state, Sands has asked the Irving City Council to remove the destination resort and gaming component of the proposal and instead consider approval of the balance of uses and the rezoning entitlement."
Heated debate with Irving residents
During Monday's meeting, the Irving Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5 to 4 to recommend rezoning acres of land to allow a destination resort that might include casino-style gambling.
That recommendation then went to the city council, which had been expected to make the final decision on rezoning Thursday night.
When the commissioners voted yes on the first of two amendments Monday, people started yelling and booing at them. The vote on the second amendment didn't happen until 2:30 a.m. Tuesday because of all the public comments.
"We do not live in Las Vegas because we do not want to live in Las Vegas," an Irving resident said on Monday.
The original proposal included a chance for an arena, convention center, spas, retail stores, restaurants and more, located near the former site of Texas Stadium. The land is owned by the Sands Corporation and the Adelson family, who also hold a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks.
The Sands Corporation said Thursday during the work session that it doesn't make sense for them financially to build a destination resort without casino gaming.
"To build, it has to make sense, and without gaming, it changes plans," Boekenheide said. "I expect to still build quality hotels with or without gaming, but wouldn't expect a destination resort without gaming."
Gambling is currently illegal in Texas, meaning lawmakers would need to change state law before voters could weigh in on a constitutional amendment to legalize it. The corporation said it expects casino gaming to eventually become legal in Texas.
The Sands Corporation said even if all that happened, the project could still be five to seven years away.
