When Will Boxing Come Back to Las Vegas?

Boxing officials plan to meet with Las Vegas politicians and casino executives in the coming days in order to formulate a plan to bring the popular sport back to Sin City.

Gambling Today: Friday, May 22nd

Boxing officials plan to meet with Las Vegas politicians and casino executives in the coming days in order to formulate a plan to bring the popular sport back to Sin City. Plus poker players wait for over two hours for a seat at a Florida poker room on the first day it opened after a coronavirus induced hiatus. 

Sports Illustrated's gambling analyst, Frank Taddeo, highlights the latest news from the world of gambling.

Read the full video transcript below: 

Bill Enright: As Sports Illustrated continues to look at the return of sports and gambling, today's feature is on the return of boxing and poker. Let's bring on our gambling analyst Frank Taddeo. Frank, let's start with the return of boxing, because right now we don't know when it will return, but from what I understand, the officials are meeting in Las Vegas about the possibility of returning next week. 

Frank Taddeo: Yeah. Bill, boxing fans have been waiting for the word and it appears that the sport is on its way back. Combat sport regulators here in Las Vegas are going to be meeting next week, next Wednesday, in fact, to discuss when the possibility of a sport can possibly come back without fans. According to legendary top rank boxing CEO Bob Arum, the sport could see a return as early as June 9th. The hopes are that if they get the go ahead from the control board to hold two events per week with no fans at Los Vegas MGM Properties. A second fight card will be held two nights later on June 11th, with ESPN airing both events, kicking off twice weekly shows in their hotels in both June and July. The Nevada State Athletic Commission has scheduled its meeting, but let's just hope that they decide for boxing fans, we can hear the words let's get ready to rumble real soon, Bill. Because fight fans need to hear it. 

Bill Enright: So still no official word on when boxing will return, but for the state of Florida, poker did return despite concerns of the coronavirus. 

Frank Taddeo: Yeah. Bill, we got a welcome sight last night as it appeared on Thursday night. It was a great thing to see on social media as the live poker industry, which was expected to be crushed amid stringent re-opening guidelines, threw us all a sight that we all need to see from the state of Florida. The popular Hard Rock Tampa opened its doors and witnessed an amazing 18 tables in action with a waiting list of more than 100 players within two hours opening its doors. Playing six handed is a marked improvement over the overtop demands of four handed play currently being proposed for Las Vegas poker rooms. What a way for us to end this year, Bill, at Sports Illustrated's gambling today. Let's hope that this is a sign of things to come for a popular industry that needs these kind of immediate positive results. Hopefully we can all be shuffling up and dealing real soon, buddy.