WNBA coming up Aces with team in Las Vegas

Gamble in any casino in Las Vegas and the house always has an edge. So why should the new WNBA team in Sin City be any different?

No, we’re not talking about the so-called “Vegas Flu” that afflicted some hockey teams that came to play the Golden Knights during the just-completed NHL season.

The Aces have the advantage of a scheduling anomaly this season that gives them six home games when their opponent is finishing off a back-to-back. That’s over a third of Las Vegas’ home contests this year. The next closest team is Washington with three such games. Five teams don’t even have one home game like that.

The scheduling advantage hasn’t really paid off so far for the team that moved to Nevada from San Antonio this past winter, as the Aces are 1-2 in such games so far. Despite a 6-12 record, the Aces have been leaving a solid impression on their fans and opponents this year as owner MGM has gone all-in with the team.

Las Vegas is making the WNBA feel very welcome. MGM spent over $10 million on the Mandalay Bay Arena to make it WNBA ready, adding a state-ofthe-art video board and making sure nearly every seat has a great view of the court.

“We’re going to do it right. With a WNBA team, it’s not about core economics for us, it’s about visitation,” President of MGM Resorts International Bill Hornbuckle told The Associated Press. “It’s about getting the community behind us and showing once again that Las Vegas will support sports teams.”

Hornbuckle said the WNBA has been a great partner. The new franchise has been getting rave reviews from the league and its players.

“Everything they’ve done so far has been incredible,” Borders told the AP. “It’s been first class all the way.”