Written by Tim Lavalli
 LAS VEGAS/Tuesday, 28 August 2007

Casino giant Harrah's Entertainment Inc. announced that it is partnering with AEG, the company that brought David Beckham to the Los Angeles Galaxy, to build a 20,000-seat arena in Las Vegas capable of housing a major league basketball or hockey team.

This is the second proposed arena for the Las Vegas Valley. And it's a half-billion-dollar idea that could transform the large vacant land just behind Ballys on the Las Vegas Strip.

Valley power brokers have been attempting to build a large arena for several years in hopes of attracting a major sports franchise, but it can also bring new traffic and a few unseen surprises.

One can’t help but wonder with Harrah’s Entertainment involved if this move would not also solve the overcrowding problems of the World Series of Poker at the Rio Casino. Harrah’s also owns the World Series and has struggled for the past several years with the large crowds. In the last two years the Main Event of the World Series of Poker has been played over four days in separate flights. With a huge arena like the one proposed the WSOP could be housed under one roof with all entrants playing the same day.