This issue is old. I think it was 2 years ago and both the Flames and Oilers were saying they would have to leave. The NHL agreed to let them to get some funds from the sports game in the provincial lottery despite their concerns for endorsing gambling. Its been quite clear for some time the NHL is just going to bite their tongue on these things because they need the money. All the more reason I think when Vegas finally gets a pro team its probably going to be an NHL team because if they can approve it for other teams, how can they protest gambling in Nevada.
I think in 3 years a team will be in Vegas. No other sport has so many broke teams and no other city has the resources and lack of pro sports competition to match Vegas. The NBA is the first choice of the mayor and most people, but as long as David Stern is around I don't see that happening.
Canucks gamble on lotto for revenue
September 29th, 2003 - Brian Wawryshyn - Canuckscorner.com
The Vancouver Canucks announced a new partnership with the B.C. government yesterday that will see them receive a portion of proceeds from a lottery run by the BC Lottery Corporation.
Under the deal, the lottery corporation will sell $10 scratch-and-win tickets featuring different Canucks players. The team will receive 15 per cent of revenues from those tickets.
The agreement also includes a joint marketing program for Sports Action which allows betting on NHL games. The Canucks will receive 15 per cent of all wagering on professional hockey games once the corporation exceeds the $11 million it collected last year.
"A couple of million dollars is a lot of money for us," said Cobb. "We think the percentages we are getting are fair. I'm happy with the number. It's a good starting point for us."
The agreement is a three-year deal which can be extended to five.
The Canucks taking a percentage of Sports Action revenues means the lottery corporation will be able to continue funding projects and charities around the province.
" Any amounts that were being distributed out of that $11 million last year to the charities will still be there," said Cobb. "We don't get a share of that which makes sense."
For years the Canucks and other small market Canadian teams have argued they deserve a share of lottery revenue, since the governments make money of their products in the form of legalized betting. Similar lotteries are in place in Calgary and Edmonton.
The Canucks hope to make between 1.5 and 2 million dollars in the first year of the agreement.
Notes: The Canucks released nine more players Monday. Forwards Tyler Bouck, Fedor Fedorov, Pat Kavanagh, Zenith Komarniski and Jimmy Roy, Defensemen Dallas Eakins, Mikko Jokela and Jaroslav Obsut were all assigned to Manitoba, leaving the Canucks roster at 27 players.
September 29th, 2003 - Brian Wawryshyn - Canuckscorner.com
The Vancouver Canucks announced a new partnership with the B.C. government yesterday that will see them receive a portion of proceeds from a lottery run by the BC Lottery Corporation.
Under the deal, the lottery corporation will sell $10 scratch-and-win tickets featuring different Canucks players. The team will receive 15 per cent of revenues from those tickets.
The agreement also includes a joint marketing program for Sports Action which allows betting on NHL games. The Canucks will receive 15 per cent of all wagering on professional hockey games once the corporation exceeds the $11 million it collected last year.
"A couple of million dollars is a lot of money for us," said Cobb. "We think the percentages we are getting are fair. I'm happy with the number. It's a good starting point for us."
The agreement is a three-year deal which can be extended to five.
The Canucks taking a percentage of Sports Action revenues means the lottery corporation will be able to continue funding projects and charities around the province.
" Any amounts that were being distributed out of that $11 million last year to the charities will still be there," said Cobb. "We don't get a share of that which makes sense."
For years the Canucks and other small market Canadian teams have argued they deserve a share of lottery revenue, since the governments make money of their products in the form of legalized betting. Similar lotteries are in place in Calgary and Edmonton.
The Canucks hope to make between 1.5 and 2 million dollars in the first year of the agreement.
Notes: The Canucks released nine more players Monday. Forwards Tyler Bouck, Fedor Fedorov, Pat Kavanagh, Zenith Komarniski and Jimmy Roy, Defensemen Dallas Eakins, Mikko Jokela and Jaroslav Obsut were all assigned to Manitoba, leaving the Canucks roster at 27 players.
As for the LV Thunder, they had plenty of fans until the last season when it was clear they weren't going to be around so they stopped putting out a good product and people understandably stayed away. The year before those 500 in attendance crowds, they were getting over 5,000 nightly. An NHL team is a whole new world anyways, no one relates to minor league teams but major teams get both local fans interested and in a town like Vegas with so many snowbirds there will be a lot of interest for the NHL in general.
As for the gambling connection, there are even talking of putting in a casino in the Flames building. If hockey even tries to say they distance themselves from gambling it will look ridiculous.
As for the gambling connection, there are even talking of putting in a casino in the Flames building. If hockey even tries to say they distance themselves from gambling it will look ridiculous.
That is the silly thing, Vancouver is a big market in terms of TV money and population, yet they are still broke. I think their woes have been directly due to being Canadian. Will be interesting to see what the teams say now that the Canadian dollar has been strong of late and those problems of the past reversed themselves, at least for now. Calgary and Edmonton are small markets, so is Ottawa, they have legitimate size issues, but Vancouver shouldn't have an issue, it would be like the 13th biggest metro area if it was in the US so it can't call itself small market.
