LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo told business leaders in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning that expanding professional sports in Southern Nevada can help strengthen and diversify the state’s economy, pointing to recent franchise successes and ongoing talks about bringing an NBA team to the region.
Lombardo spoke at the Vegas Chamber luncheon about the state of Nevada’s economy and shared his views on issues affecting Southern Nevada and the area’s economic outlook. He highlighted the growth of sports in Nevada, particularly in Southern Nevada, as discussions about an NBA franchise continue.
“The more diversified we are, the stronger we are,” Lombardo said. “So we have resiliency in times of emergency or just in what we deal with on a daily basis. And is sports the answer? Yeah, in my opinion it is the answer because we’ve seen the success of the Raiders, we’ve seen the success of the Knights and the Aces and soon to be the Las Vegas Athletics.”
Lombardo said adding more sports teams helps diversify the economy, an issue he said became especially important during the pandemic, when the Las Vegas Strip was shut down for months.