Nevada

Jon Wilner: Are UNLV and Nevada a package deal in Pac-12 expansion? Depends on who you ask

Published

2 years ago

September 18, 2024

Jon Wilner: Are UNLV and Nevada a package deal in Pac-12 expansion? Depends on who you ask

UNLV would not be “structurally” tied to Nevada in the event the Pac-12 offers membership to the Rebels during the second wave of its expansion phase, according to a member of the Nevada Board of Regents whose comments contradict the public sentiment following a major shakeup in college sports on the West Coast.

Immediately after the announcement last week that four Mountain West schools would join the Pac-12 starting in the summer of 2026, speculation surfaced that UNLV would have a difficult time leaving behind its sister campus in Reno.

One member of the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents went so far as to say it would be “very difficult” for the campuses to separate if the Pac-12 comes calling for the Rebels.

But Heather Brown, who was elected to the board in November 2022 and represents District 6, told the Hotline on Tuesday that UNLV and Nevada would not be an all-or-nothing deal.

“If (UNLV) were approached by a conference and it makes sense,” Brown said, “my understanding is they would have to get board approval. But there’s nothing we would have to untether. There is no package. Nobody talks about them as a package … There is nothing structurally that ties them together.”

A source who has spent decades working with officials in the Nevada System of Higher Education said there has “never been a discussion about them being in the same league” and that several regents were dumbfounded by the narrative that the Rebels would be held back by Nevada.

The Las Vegas and Reno campuses have spent most of their athletic histories in different conferences, with a recent 12-year overlap in the Mountain West. (UNLV was a founding member of the conference in 1999; Nevada joined in 2012.)

Comments by regent Byron Brooks added to the belief that separating the two campuses would be tricky for the Pac-12.

“It would be very difficult for UNLV to make a move into another conference without UNR because that should be a package deal,” Brooks told the Las Vegas Review-Journal last week following the Pac-12’s decision to add Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State.

“And then the financial obligations that these campuses have in moving from one conference to another … I’m not sure that UNLV and UNR are in a place to spend that kind of money to move into another conference.”

But Brown, who grew up in Las Vegas and attended UNLV, took exception to Brooks’ position.

“One of the regents was quoted publicly,” she said. “He lacked an understanding of the historical context. They have only spent 12 years in the same conference.”

She believes Pac-12 expansion could provide the Las Vegas and Reno campuses “the opportunity to go down the path that makes the most sense for their futures. They serve different communities and should act accordingly.”

LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 14: Shane Nowell (3) of the UNLV Rebels is stripped by Darrion Trammell (12) of the San Diego State Aztecs during the overtime period of SDSU’s 74-71 win at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on Thursday, March 14, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

The Pac-12 isn’t finished expanding — at least two more schools must be added by the summer of 2026 to remain in compliance with NCAA rules.

Washington State, Oregon State, Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould and the four new members are considering an array of options, including schools in the American Athletic Conference (Memphis, Tulane and UTSA) and other members of the Mountain West.

They also have not ruled out schools that don’t play football, like Gonzaga.

The intra-state political situation in Nevada wasn’t the only reason the Pac-12 declined to offer UNLV an invitation during its first expansion wave. But the conference chose to act with “an abundance of caution” with regard to the Rebels, according to an industry source, in part to avoid a messy situation similar to what recently happened in California.

When UCLA announced its departure to the Big Ten in the summer of 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom voiced his disapproval of the secretive process. The University of California Board of Regents then spent five months debating whether the Bruins should be allowed to leave Cal behind.

Eventually, the regents let UCLA make the move but required the Bruins to make a $10 million annual “contribution” to Cal for at least three years.

However, there are several critical differences in the state education systems:

• Under California law, the governor sits on the UC board and appoints the regents. The governor of Nevada does not serve on the board or appoint the regents; they are independently elected.

• Nevada’s Board of Regents is “nestled into the state constitution,” Brown explained, which effectively makes the board a fourth branch of government independent of the governor.

Asked if Gov. Joe Lombardo, who attended UNLV, would attempt to block the Rebels from leaving Nevada behind, Brown said: “I don’t think he would, and I don’t think he could. Not even the attorney general has authority over the board.”

Lombardo’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Brown is not ready to support a move to the Pac-12 if the invitation arrives in the upcoming weeks.

The financial component is critical because UNLV has no means of paying a buyout that could approach $30 million when all the penalties are assessed, Brown said.

And she would want to weigh the move against UNLV’s options.

But if joining the Pac-12 makes sense in all respects, including the financial component, Brown said, “I think the board would support it.”

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Nevada

Vegas casino pulls plug on prediction market conference amid Nevada crackdown

Published

1 hour ago

May 15, 2026

Press Room

Vegas casino pulls plug on prediction market conference amid Nevada crackdown

A Las Vegas casino abruptly pulled the plug on a prediction market conference over fears the event could draw scrutiny from Nevada gambling regulators, according to a report.

Predict 2026 had been slated for the Aria on the Strip before the MGM-operated resort canceled the booking just days after signing the agreement.

‘The [Aria] is issuing this notice in light of Nevada’s current regulatory and enforcement position regarding prediction markets,’ a lawyer for the resort wrote in a termination letter cited by Barron’s.

The dispute highlights escalating tensions between state gambling regulators and prediction market firms such as Kalshi and Polymarket, which let people bet on the outcomes of all kinds of events.

Nevada regulators have taken an especially aggressive stance toward the fast-growing sector, arguing that some sports-event contracts resemble unlicensed wagering that bypasses state gaming rules and taxes.

Last October, the Nevada Gaming Control Board warned casino license holders that maintaining ties to prediction market operators could factor into whether they remain eligible for gaming licenses.

“If a Nevada licensee chooses to offer Sports and Other Event Contracts in Nevada or decides to partner with other entities offering Sports and Other Event Contracts in the state, the Board will consider these developments as it evaluates the suitability of the entity to maintain a Nevada gaming license,” regulators said in the guidance cited by Barron’s.

While Predict 2026 was not sponsored by any prediction market company, Aria’s legal notice indicated that regulators had become increasingly sensitive even to indirect promotion of the industry.

The Aria, which opened in 2009 and is operated by MGM Resorts after being sold to Blackstone in 2021, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The showdown highlights the widening divide between traditional casino operators and the new entrants into the prediction market space.

Legacy gaming giants such as MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment have largely stayed away from prediction markets even as companies including DraftKings have launched competing platforms to challenge businesses like Kalshi.

Prediction market operators insist that their event contracts are federally regulated financial instruments overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, allowing them to operate nationwide for users over 18.

Some state gaming regulators, however, have argued that sports-related contracts closely resemble sports betting and should fall under state gambling laws.

Nevada officials have already taken direct legal action against Kalshi.

The Nevada Gaming Commission sued the company over its sports event contracts, and the platform was briefly barred from operating in the state earlier this year, according to Barron’s.

The Post has sought comment from Polymarket, Aria and the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

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Nevada

Best Nevada high schools for athletes? One study has revealed a top 25

Published

13 hours ago

May 15, 2026

Press Room

Best Nevada high schools for athletes? One study has revealed a top 25

Nevada has a rich history of producing athletic legends.

Total number of sports: 24

1. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)

Total number of sports: 14

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Nevada

Nevada designates more than 119,000 voters inactive

Published

1 day ago

May 14, 2026

Press Room

Nevada designates more than 119,000 voters inactive

CARSON CITY, Nev. (KOLO) – The State of Nevada says it has designated more than 119,000 voters as inactive ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar says that in the spring of this year, counties updated 14,164 voter records, designated 119,533 voters as inactive and canceled the voter registrations of 7,583 people.

This is in addition to 2025 voter roll maintenance efforts that registered more than 138,000 voters inactive and canceled nearly 177,000 voter registrations.

“State and local election officials are working hard to prepare voters for the upcoming June Primary, and keeping Nevada’s voter rolls up to date is a critical part of that process. County election officials have dedicated significant resources to make sure Nevada’s voter registration records are accurate, so that all eligible Nevadans – and only eligible Nevadans – can cast a ballot,” said Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar. “Mail ballots are being sent to active, registered voters across the state now. Voters can support their local officials’ work by checking and updating their registration information on VOTE.NV.gov.”

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