Lawmakers to consider using slot revenues for sports facilities

      CARSON CITY -- A proposal to use existing slot machine tax revenues to pay for $100 million worth of improvements to university sports and entertainment facilities in Las Vegas and Reno has been handed to lawmakers and lobbyists.
      The controversial proposal, advocated by a group of Southern Nevada business and community leaders to ensure major events such as the National Finals Rodeo remain in Las Vegas, is expected to come to the Legislature later this session.
      The group pushing for the $45 million expansion of the Thomas & Mack Center and the $30 million expansion of the Sam Boyd Stadium includes Las Vegas attorney William Morris and former state Sen. Sue Lowden, among others. Neither Morris nor Lowden would comment Thursday on the proposal.
      The two facilities, owned and operated by UNLV, need major repairs, improvements and expansion to keep the rodeo and Western Athletic Conference football playoff games in Las Vegas.
      The rodeo especially concerns the Southern Nevada gaming and tourism industry because of the economic impact the event has in an otherwise slow time of year each December. In December, rodeo fans poured an estimated $24 million in nongaming money into the local economy.
      Pat Christenson, director of the two facilities for UNLV, said the arena and stadium have covered their operating costs and generated about $15 million in improvements in the past 15 to 18 years. Recent profits have been forwarded to UNLV athletics, which has suffered budget shortfalls over the past few years, he said.
      The stadium, which has about 30,000 seats but would expand to 50,000 under the plan, sells out three to four times a year, Christenson said. The arena, with 18,000 seats, has about 20 sellouts a year.
      To ensure fairness in the distribution of the slot tax money, $25 million also would be provided to the University of Nevada, Reno under the proposal.
      The proposal is being advanced so far without the support of the Board of Regents or university system officials, who have expressed a concern about using the slot tax money for nonacademic construction projects.
      The 11-member Board of Regents of the University and Community College System of Nevada is scheduled to discuss the subject today in Las Vegas.
      UNLV President Carol Harter has said the plans for the stadium and arena are not the university's priorities this legislative session. A 20 percent budget increase for higher education and a new library and law school for UNLV are the priorities, she said.
      But Regent Mark Alden said the projects would be good for both the local economy and UNLV.
      "It appears a wonderful partnership can grow out of this," he said. "I am surprised I'm hearing any consternation at all on the negative side about who gets what."
      That the slot tax revenues could be used instead for academic buildings is irrelevant, Alden said.
      The $50 per slot machine tax now deposited in the legislatively created Special Higher Education Capital Construction Fund is expected to bring in $10.2 million this year. The fund was first used by the Legislature to finance the construction of Thomas & Mack and UNR's Lawlor Event Center in 1981.
      The part of the fund not needed to pay off the arena bonds has been used by the Legislature to finance bonds to build academic buildings, including $21.9 million for a classroom and office complex for UNLV in 1991.
      About $7.8 million of the total fund is paying off all the different bonds, leaving $2.4 million that potentially could be used for the arena and stadium projects.