For more than a century, Las Vegas has been synonymous with gambling. But amid a growing population and rapid legalisation of gambling across the US, one of the ways Vegas is adapting is by transforming itself into a sports powerhouse.

This comes at a time when gambling’s share of US tourism revenue is dwindling, despite growing on a top-line basis. Among casinos in Clark County (home to the Vegas metro area) that grossed at least $1m in gaming revenue in fiscal year 2024, gaming accounted for a 34.2% share of total revenue versus 61.5% in 1990. Room revenue increased its share the most during this time, along with increases in areas like food and beverage sales. Data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) also suggest growing spending on sports and other entertainment.

“It’s not lost upon us that Vegas is slowly but surely attracting many more dollars of non-gaming as it is gaming,” says Soo Kim, chairman of entertainment company Bally’s Corporation.

A new type of Vegas resort

Amid this spending shift, Bally’s is currently planning a new development that will replace the now-demolished Tropicana casino, with sports at the centre.

Along with its landlord Gaming and Leisure Properties, Bally’s assigned nine of the 35 acres on-site to the Athletics, a Major League Baseball team in the process of moving to Vegas.

As part of the move, the A’s — as they are known — are building a state-of-the-art $1.75bn ballpark. Surrounding it, Bally’s will build a new resort, potentially in three phases, with up to 3000 rooms. However, this development will likely differ from what is typical in Vegas, according to Mr Kim.

“When we pencilled out what I would call a traditional casino resort, sort of on the pathway of Resorts World or Fontainebleau, we couldn’t make the numbers work,” he explained.

In determining what to build, Mr Kim notes that Bally’s has observed a trend of stadiums and arenas around the country integrating retail entertainment districts — for example, The Battery Atlanta next to the Braves’ baseball stadium — with the games driving traffic. Bally’s is leaning into that model, says Mr Kim.

“There will still be hotel rooms, there will still be a casino, there will still be an events space. But the emphasis is actually on the retail entertainment district rather than a straight casino,” he explains.

In addition to other sports venues providing a blueprint, Mr Kim points to a new retail and dining development nearby on the Strip called BLVD.

“BLVD is very inspirational in just the basic concept that there you have a Stripfront property that is generating economic return for its investors and owners without a casino,” says Mr Kim.

Boosting tourism and the overall economy

The A’s and Bally’s developments are only part of the growing sports scene in Vegas. Some sports, such as boxing and Nascar, have a more established history in Vegas, but none of the four major US professional sports leagues did until the Golden Knights, a National Hockey League expansion team, took the ice in 2017. 

The following year, a Women’s National Basketball Association franchise relocated to become the Las Vegas Aces. The National Football League (NFL) then made its mark when the Raiders moved to Vegas in 2020, although that first season was played without fans in attendance, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

For fiscal year 2022, sporting events generated more than $1.8bn in direct output in the Vegas area from out-of-town visitors, according to University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) estimates. While earlier data like this is limited, LVCVA surveys find that among those spending on sporting events in Vegas, the average amount spent jumped from $129.16 in 2019 to $357.06 in 2024.

Granted, the proportion of Vegas visitors coming primarily for sporting events has been low; just 2% said that was the main purpose of their trip in 2024. 

Going forward, Vegas may need to rely on sports even more, considering the potential for a tourism slump

Still, several signs point to sports being additive to the economy. For example, Vegas got a boost from hosting the Super Bowl in February 2024, as suggested by the February 2025 12% year-over-year drop in visitors and a 25% decrease in the average room rate.

Going forward, Vegas may need to rely on sports even more, considering the potential for a tourism slump. 

Although 2024 visitor numbers nearly hit pre-pandemic levels, issues such as tariffs, stock market volatility and the federal government’s posturing towards non-US citizens might be contributing to a travel slowdown, both domestically and internationally. For the 12 months to June 2026, LVCVA projects a 5% decrease in room tax revenue.

So, current and future sports teams could help drive the local economy.

Influencers’ darling 

In addition to the direct spending impact, there is a marketing impact and other indirect benefits from professional sports, says Steve Hill, chairman of the Las Vegas Stadium Authority and president/CEO of the LVCVA.

For one, building the Allegiant Stadium for the Raiders has enabled Vegas to host bigger and different types of events than it has in the past, says Mr Hill. 

There are also some natural partnerships, such as with the LVCVA sponsoring the Aces’ players to essentially act as social media influencers promoting Vegas, explains Mr Hill. This deal comes at a time when women’s basketball is exploding in popularity, to the point where the Aces are considering upsizing their arena, he says.

Hylo Park will include indoor and outdoor sports facilities, along with an on-site hotel and several other amenities

Outside of the professional leagues, a new sports-centred project called Hylo Park is under way in North Las Vegas. There, California-based Agora Realty & Management is investing approximately $380m to turn two former casinos that closed during the pandemic into a new community that will include an Olympic village of sorts to host events such as youth sports tournaments. The site already includes an ice rink left from one of the former casinos, where the Golden Knights now manage a variety of youth and amateur programmes. 

With an expected completion by the first quarter of 2027, Hylo Park will include other indoor and outdoor sports facilities, along with an on-site hotel, and several other amenities such as a grocery store and restaurants that will also serve an adjacent residential development from Lennar Homes of 393 new single-family homes.

“It’s going to be very unique and all-encompassing,” says Terri Sheridan, director of economic development for the City of North Las Vegas.

The city projects that Hylo Park will add around 1200 new jobs. “Being able to bring jobs back to the area is great news, along with the overall investment in an area that had sat vacant for several years,” says Ms Sheridan.

Beyond events, sports can support complementary industries. For example, Hylo Park will include a youth sports academy that includes training and physical therapy services.

In addition to health-related areas, sports can also support sectors like media and gaming, adds Mr Hill. 

Although gaming’s share of the economy might be lower, there’s a natural synergy with sports that can help Vegas grow. For example, DraftKings opened a 90,000-square-foot, tech-focused office in Vegas for more than 1000 employees in 2023.

Plus, pro sports can provide a powerful signal to other companies to come to Vegas, such as for tradeshows, explains Mr Hill.

When a league like the NFL “says we’re going to be a part of your community, it makes a statement to people, even those who are not NFL fans, that Vegas is mature, Vegas is a professional city, it’s a global city,” he says.

Jake Safane is a freelance contributor based in the US

As a student, Keith Clauss took an interest in sports, enjoying playing baseball and football. Despite being unsure of a career path right away, he recalls having an interest in coaching early on, recalling looking up to his seventh grade gym teacher and thinking that he could see himself in a similar role. 

However, it took some time in between for Clauss to arrive back at North Penn. Originally, Clauss couldn’t have imagined himself a teacher, noting that he hadn’t particularly enjoyed sitting down in classrooms.

“I didn’t really know what I was going to do. I was the first one in my family in college, so I didn’t really know much about college. I went to Montco, got some classes, took a few years off. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I played baseball locally, and worked crappy, dead end jobs that didn’t pay very well, which was the other thing that convinced me to move on,” said Clauss.

It took travelling across the world for Clauss, an alum of North Penn High School, to find his way back as a teacher. 

In the graduating class of 1981, he walked the halls as a student, spending his time as a member of the baseball and football teams. Later down the line, he found himself in Sicily as a youth sports director and then a physical education teacher in Virginia Beach. 

Eventually walking the halls as a teacher, Clauss found his way back to North Penn teaching health and physical education. This year marks his last of 26 years of teaching at North Penn, and the beginning of his next journey in retirement.

It was his wife, Betty, who brought up the subject of possible career options, and he noted he had taken an interest in coaching.

“There’s one good way to do that,” she had said, and that began his path to teaching.

Before working his way back into North Penn as a teacher, Clauss spent time overseas in Sicily with his wife, who was stationed there as a part of her Navy career.

“They have to do one overseas tour in their career. We could have gone to Greenland, Iceland, Hawaii or Sicily. I was all for Hawaii to begin, but we would have been stationed on the West Coast. We went to Sicily, which was through the station on the East Coast where we had family,” Clauss said.

Working as a youth sports director, he was running all the intramural sports for American children on the Navy base with their families—about 400 kids, he recalled.

“We had basketball, cheerleading, baseball, and soccer. The funniest part was, I was able to get local kids’ teams to come down, things that had never been done before. I’m a lot more in tune to the foreign students here, coming from other countries who can’t really speak the language,” Clauss said.

When they arrived back on the East Coast after their time in Sicily, he eventually ended back up where he very first began, right at North Penn High School. Outside of teaching health and physical education, Clauss also served as an assistant baseball coach for eighteen years of his career, back on the same fields where he originally played.

“I was here [playing] when we got in the state playoffs, and we won the league two out of three years. It was a lot of fun,” he recalled from his time as a player.

“In 2009, we won our first state championship, and I had an undefeated season when I was coaching the JV team. They stayed almost tied this year, but lost a game. I gotta shove that in their face a little bit,” he said. “It was a lot of work; folks don’t realize how difficult it is.”

However, outside his accomplishments in his baseball career at North Penn, Clauss said that his biggest accomplishment is in a different sport: basketball. More specifically, he is proud of “perfecting the backwards half-court shot.”

“Two years ago they had a bunch of kids who would try to shoot half-court shots, and I said, this is how I make a half-court shot,” he said.

Over the changes he has seen at North Penn, Clauss especially noted the massive growth in the student population, as well as the up-and-coming renovations that are to come soon. 

“A lot of things just keep getting better, and they’re trying to expand,” he said.

Clauss hoped to show his students the importance of physical education and exercise, noting the importance of participating in such activities.

“Every statistic in the world tells you that you have got to keep moving and exercise throughout your life. It’s hard to convince young people that,” he said.

For his plans for retirement, he hoped to further his travels, to see the parts of the country he still has not visited.

“I’ve seen the whole East Coast, I’ve seen the whole West Coast. I haven’t seen the middle of the country; I haven’t been to Las Vegas, I haven’t seen the Grand Canyon, or Arizona. I haven’t been to North Dakota, not that there’s anything to see there, but I’ve just never been there. I’d like to travel a little bit more,” he said.

Over his years of teaching students, the biggest lesson that students have taught Clauss is “lots of patience.”

He will look back especially fondly on his fellow teachers in physical education and health, calling them “some of the greatest people in the world.”

“I enjoyed my time, and I enjoy all of the people I’ve met,” he said.

(MARYVILLE, Mo.) Looking for some summer fun indoors for your young male athlete? The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team is hosting a boys’ youth camp beginning this week on campus. 

The first session is scheduled from June 23-25, from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm, at Bearcat Arena for their day camp. 

This camp is geared toward boys in 1st through 8th grade and costs $100 per camper. The team intends to focus on fundamental skills for beginners and progressing the skills of higher players.

Then, from July 29 to 31, they will be hosting a Bearcat skills camp with times ranging from 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm. 

The Bearcat skills camp will also cost approximately $100 and be open to students in 1st through 8th grade. Beginners will be able to hone their skills, while more experienced players will have the opportunity to develop theirs further.

For a link on how to sign up, click here.

Parents still have time to register their children for the Lakeland Lions Youth Football program, with the deadline set for June 29. The city’s popular youth sports program includes both tackle and flag football options for children ages 6 to 12.

Tackle football is available for kids ages 7 to 12, with teams divided into 8u, 10u, and 12u divisions. For younger players or those interested in a non-contact version of the game, flag football is offered for 6u, 8u, 10u, and 12u age groups.

The City of Lakeland provides all necessary equipment for tackle football players. A refundable deposit is required and will be returned at the end of the season upon equipment return.

Lakeland has a strong tradition of competitive play as part of the Municipal Football League, regularly facing off against teams from Bartlett, Arlington, Collierville, and other area communities.

To complete registration, parents must provide a copy of their child’s birth certificate and a player photo. These items will be collected at the equipment distribution night, tentatively scheduled for early August.

Practices will also begin in early August at the Brody Story Lakeland Athletic Complex, located on Memphis-Arlington Road.

The cost to participate is $325 for tackle football and $90 for flag football.

You can click here to register.

The death of Dylan Taylor, a well-known youth athletics coach in Menlo Park and Atherton, inspired a local family to start a memorial fund in his name. The Fishback family, friends to the Taylors, is collaborating with the Riekes Center in Menlo Park to start a fund that will support sports, mentorship and art for local youth. 

Over $12,000 have been raised since his funeral, according to Beth Fishback. 

Taylor died on May 7 after a fatal collision with a GreenWaste truck on Middlefield Road while riding a bicycle. He worked as a paraeducator for the Menlo Park City and Las Lomitas school districts and coached local youth in flag football, track and field, and basketball. Taylor also worked as the freshman football coach for Menlo-Atherton High School.

“We decided that Riekes would be a good place to set up a fund for him to be remembered because his joy and his passions were coaching kids’ sports,” said Fishback.

As a former student at Summit Prep, Taylor used to go to the Riekes Center for its sports programs. He continued to be involved at the center until as recently as a year ago, said Caroline McNally, interim executive director and board chair of the Riekes Center.

“The alignment with what the Riekes Center stands for and its role in the community aligned very well with the kind of person Dylan was, so it just seemed to be a natural fit (to start the fund),” McNally added.

The Riekes Center is a space that welcomes anyone to pursue their interests in athletics, fitness, art, music and community service. With Taylor’s legacy among the young athletes of Menlo Park and Atherton, donations made to the fund will support young people who may not have the financial means to participate in sports programs at the Riekes Center. 

According to McNally, 33% of people at Riekes are part of its scholarship program. 

No one is ever turned away at the Riekes Center, she said. Scholarships and collected donations are able to support the diverse community that participates in its activities. The nonprofit organization aims to be an inclusive environment where everyone is seen as equal. 

“It’s important for us that anybody can access the Riekes Center and be a part of it,” she said. “I don’t think there are many places like this around.” 

The Riekes Center is attended by residents of Woodside, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Atherton, blending communities that are otherwise separated by social bubbles and city limits. McNally calls this “real world diversity.”  

“There aren’t many places where you can really interact and just be with a lot of different people. It’s about connection and community here,” she added. 

To contribute to the Dylan Taylor Fund at the Riekes Center, visit riekes.org/dylan-taylor-fund.