Will the Canes be one of the new gambling facilities?

Tom Dundon, the owner of your Carolina Hurricanes, joins us on The Adam Gold Show. All right, big day. The governor put pen to paper. Gambling is, well, I shouldn't say legal today because it's not legal today.

It won't be legal till sometime next year. But your thoughts on at least clearing that obstacle. Good morning, Adam. How have you been? I've been great. I've I've I'm missing you.

He's just right to it. Well, you know, we have you're a busy man. It's not morning for you, is it? I'm on the West Coast. So, OK, I didn't know you're all the way out in California.

I didn't know that. That's all right. Yeah, no, I'm look, we've been waiting a bit and I think you and I have talked about it's where the world's going. And so, you know, we just want to remain competitive, right? We've got to have we've got to have certain streams of revenue that put us in a position to compete.

And, you know, we all want to win. Right. And this is very helpful.

And I'm really appreciative that it got approved. And now now we've got to do something good with it. Right. We've got to make sure the experience is is unique.

And so that's what I've been spent a lot of time on is how do we make whatever we build special, for lack of a better term. Yeah. Guaranteed. Guaranteed midnight at PNC Arena.

That's let's start there. Just guarantee a win on a on a random on a random Tuesday. Tom Dundon is the owner of the Carolina Hurricanes and it is morning where he is apparently real quick about PNC Arena, because I know that there and we're going to get into some other things real quick here, but I know there are there are plans to renovate the building and all of that. Where would you put it if if it could go up and running on January 8th and more than likely it will be February, March or April, who knows.

But where would you put it right now inside PNC Arena? Yeah, look, I think what would happen is there probably be some sort of temporary situation right in front there. And then there's so many people involved with the second part of that decision. But assuming everyone agreed, I think where the box office is now. Right. Which, as you know, box office don't really exist.

Don't need it anymore. So I think right in there, I think the way we're thinking about this is, you know, a pretty big space with huge screens and, you know, just we want to do it pretty big. And that space is probably the biggest, best location that anyone can think of.

And it might even extend out a little. Yeah. From where the building ends now.

So if everything were to work and everyone were to agree, that would be a pretty good spot for it. Oh, yes. Sounds like a sports sports bar and lounge.

My favorite. I've I've been to Vegas only a couple of times. I'm not I mean, I'd follow wagering and all of that, but I'm not a gambler and I don't really like card games. But the Mandalay, the hotel at the Mandalay has about as nice a sports book as I have ever been and just build that. Yeah, I mean, I think that's kind of what we're thinking is is what's good is the world's moved so fast on screens. Right. How big was your TV when you're 15 years ago?

Right now you get these. So we've and I've got that Topgolf business that's coming to Raleigh that we build big screens in the end zones and all over. And so I spent a lot of time on it. So I think our ability to do large screens that make the place, you know, lots of games and in the right in the right environment, it's pretty easy now. Right. Like this this this isn't something that is is hard to do what they did when they did it. It was hard. Now it's easy.

Tom Dundon is joining us here on the Adam Gold Show. If you I'm sure you have thought about what the long term advantages are, the projections are. But over the let's just say over the next five years, how much money could that bring in possibly to the hurricanes?

Yeah, I think it's I think. It keeps us from falling behind, but I don't think it gets us ahead. So I look at everything, you know, as as where your revenues compared to the league, because, you know, every every every team can spend exactly the same but doesn't have the same revenues. And so I think what has happened, it just allows us to be competitive. I don't think it moves us forward in any way, but it doesn't move us behind.

And if it's a fair fight, we're usually going to do pretty well. How close are the hurricanes? Are you and the Centennial Authority and the state and everywhere from or to signing a long term lease at BNC? Each week, we dive into the mind of the con artist, uncovering the secrets behind the biggest Ponzi schemes you've never heard about. We're not talking about Bernie Madoff or Charles Ponzi. That's right. Those guys have been covered to death.

The Ponzi playbook will focus on those fraudsters who have swintled millions from unsuspecting investors subscribe to the Ponzi playbook wherever you get your podcasts. I don't know how close we are just because there's so many parties involved, right? I know. I know we're working hard at it. And it feels like we've got some good momentum and most of the pieces are in place. And now it's, you know, everybody who gets a say has to say yes or no. And I, I can't perfectly know, you know, what other people are going to do. But, you know, we're definitely engaged and eager to try to get something done. There's but it's not without its challenges.

Oh, no. I mean, I've always when people have asked me about it, I've always said that everything is basically going to be agreed to at the same time. You'll agree to the lease.

They'll agree to, you know, what you want to do with the not only the arena, but to to build out the property, to create that entertainment district. I just think all of those things almost are going to have to come together at about the same time. I think it's happening. I think all that's happening now. So when you ask how close you are right till it's done, it's not done. But I think you're right. All those conversations are concurrent and I'm hopeful. But, you know, there's so many parties involved.

You just don't know. It's sort of like Lionel Messi yet has not signed his contract with Inter Miami Tom Dundon, the owner of the Hurricanes. Quick hockey stuff for you real quick before I let you go. What is your priority in this offseason for the team? You know, look, I think it's Ajo and Stahl and Shea and Pesci and our guys Anderson, some of the guys at Ronta that we have a lot of good players. We're pretty good team.

I know we didn't win. And but you don't want to go backwards. And, you know, we've been fortunate that the type of human beings and character and the effort we get all those are great things. And, you know, for the first few years, I wanted to keep making changes to get better because there was, I thought, easy ways to do that. We're at a point now where it's really hard.

And it's easier. I think I told you it's easier to get worse than better right now. And I think we can get a little better. But I just I just want to make sure we stay in this, in this place and why we keep an eye on the future.

We don't want to get worse today. And so trying to get the people who we trust that we know are good players taken care of is, is probably the top priority. But you know, I don't really look at it in, in order, right? I think you got to do it all right.

You have to be, we have to try to get better everywhere. And, and it's easier if you keep the players, you know, are good, but you know, that doesn't always happen. I mean, just, just to go back to Ajo and we'll let you go after this, because I've always looked to me, he's a catalyst for everything going forward.

He has one more year left and you have a lot of guys, you mentioned two of them with one more year left on their deals, Pesci and Shea. But if you leave all of that for next year, it becomes really difficult to bring them all back. So, but you want to get Ajo done this summer. What if you don't get Ajo done this summer?

Look, of all the things you've asked me about, the one that I know gets done now is Ajo. Okay. He wants, he's the, he's such a great kid.

He wants to be here. We've been working on it. You know? Yeah. That one, that one, I feel really good about better than all the other questions you've asked me. I'll say that. Have I asked, have I put pressure on you today?

No, not at all. When does the Topgolf open? I don't know. November, maybe. Oh man, we need that sooner. It's been a very difficult process. That's been one of the hardest ones ever because of some local issues that, you know, permits and different things.

And so that those are the kinds of stories that make me hesitant about, you know, a deal's not done till it's done. Right. Cause that thing should have been open six months ago. I'm not making my return to, to golf until Topgolf opens. Well, we're going to do a big, we'll do a big hurricane thing out there when it opens. So you're, you're on the invite list. All right. I thank you very much. Enjoy, enjoy the West coast.

I will talk to you soon. I appreciate your time. Thanks bud. Thanks Adam.