In the United States, there has never been a major sports team to partner with a gaming casino. Most teams try to stay away from any type of wagering due to strict regulations within the sporting organization. However, this may soon change if the Florida Panthers owner follows through with a recent partnership.

The Panthers is owned by the Sunrise Sports & Entertainment company. Sunrise recently partnered with Boyd Gaming Corporation which is based in Las Vegas. The two would work together to create a hotel and casino in the state that would be located near the BB&T Center, which is the home of the NHL team.

The new proposal by the two companies was recently pitched at a Senate Gaming Committee hearing and they now await approval. The proposal would be for a casino resort that is unlike the traditional offering. This one would include a convention center as well as focus mainly on gaming instead of a split between gaming and retail.

Keith Smith is the CEO and President of Boyd Gaming and he recently commented on the new partnership by stating the new proposal would allow the two companies to take advantage  of the potential development opportunity in the location which is very attractive and holds great potential. Smith believes the area is the ideal location since it is already high in visitor traffic.

Boyd Gaming already has several properties across the United States. The company reaches to eight states and has several properties in these states. It will be interesting to see if the partnership is approved and how well the new casino resort area will be received if approved. Boyd seems to be very successful so the entire endeavor, if approved, should do quite well. If the two do end up creating a casino it would also be interesting to see how the NHL team might be integrated in the casino resort.