All bets would be off if the National Basketball Association brings its 2007 All-Star Game to Las Vegas, thanks to a ban approved Thursday by state gambling regulators.
At the request of the NBA and tourism officials, the Nevada Gaming Commission voted unanimously to prohibit wagering on the February contest and related events.
"The amount of wagering on NBA All-Star games is relatively little compared to the benefit for the state of being able to host this kind of event," Commission Chairman Peter Bernhard said.
NBA officials said they would not consider the Las Vegas bid to host the game without the betting ban.
NBA Commissioner David Stern will choose from among several cities vying to host the weekend event. Las Vegas is the only city on the list that does not have its own NBA team.
Nevada regulators have prohibited betting on sporting events at least twice before.
During the 1983-1984 season, the city hosted the Utah Jazz for an 11-game series in an attempt to expand the team's fan base. NBA officials insisted that no betting be allowed on those games. Regulators also approved a similar request from major league baseball's Oakland As when they played in Las Vegas.
Lawyers for the NBA and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority told regulators that the one-game betting ban would have minimal financial ramifications and that no gambling interests have voiced objections. Few gamblers bet on all-star games because they are hard to handicap, they said.
Luke Puschnig, lawyer for the visitors authority, told regulators that the game and events that precede it could bring 10,000 to 15,000 tourists to the city.
Another hurdle to the city's bid also appears to have been cleared.
After negotiations, luxury box holders at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada's Thomas & Mack Center, where the game would be played, have agreed to give up control of their suites for the weekend - another condition set by the NBA.
"All 30 suite owners have released their suites. There's absolutely no hang-up with any aspect of the facility," UNLV athletic director Mike Hamrick said.
Also Thursday, the commission accepted a $100,000 check from FHR Corporation, owners of the Reno Hilton hotel-casino.
The fine was part of the settlement resolving a complaint against a former-Hilton executive accused of rigging a 2001 promotional slot tournament for one of the casino's high-rollers.
The executive and another employee involved in the complaint are no longer employed by the company. Another Reno Hilton employee blew the whistle on the rigging deal in 2004 after similar activity at The Venetian Resort hotel-casino in Las Vegas was publicized, Reno Hilton representatives said.