The Ultimate Guide To Las Vegas Sports And Sports Venues

Las Vegas is constantly reinventing itself. Once known primarily as a gambling paradise, Sin City is equally famous for fantastic dining, star-studded shows, live music with long-term residencies from superstars like Lady Gaga and Adele, and mind-blowing concerts at The Sphere. Now, Las Vegas is a paradise for sports enthusiasts, with professional hockey, football, and basketball teams, plus Formula 1 racing, rodeos, and more.

Sports fans are flocking to see the Vegas Golden Knights, the Las Vegas Raiders, the WNBA's Aces, the Formula 1 Heineken Las Vegas Grand Prix, and the National Finals Rodeo. And that's just the professional sports! University of Nevada (UNLV) football and basketball teams draw huge crowds. Also, don't count out unique sportsbooks, which offer a great place to watch and gamble on every sporting event imaginable — some with top-notch food and even pool parties.

You'll also find plenty of resorts and hotels near the biggest venues, including the Palms Casino Resort, one of several hotels in the U.S. that cater to sports fans. The beauty of checking out a game in Vegas: There's always something else going on, whether you're into sports or not.

If you want to attend some of the big sporting events coming up in Las Vegas, here's a guide to where it's all happening.

Allegiant Stadium

With a capacity of 65,000, Allegiant Stadium’s futuristic design and shiny black exterior have earned it the nickname The Death Star. The venue is best known as the home field for the Raiders, but you’ll also catch the UNLV Rebels scoring touchdowns during football season. Special events at Allegiant Stadium include the Pac-12 college championship and the Las Vegas Bowl.

T-Mobile Arena

There’s hockey, and then there’s Vegas Golden Knights hockey, which commences with a dazzling pre-game medieval sword fight at T-Mobile Arena. Other sporting events at T-Mobile Arena include UFC, boxing, professional wrestling, and bull riding at the PBR Camping World Teams Championship.

In addition to the adrenaline-pounding competitions, a convenient location right on the Strip makes T-Mobile Arena one of the best places for sports fans in Las Vegas.

If you spy a sea of cowboy hats moseying down the Strip, they might be in town for the National Finals Rodeo. Every December, the 10-day event brings more than 160,000 spectators to the Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV. Tickets to this venue also are sought after by basketball fans who fill the stands to cheer for NBA exhibition games, the NBA Summer League, and Runnin’ Rebels college basketball.

Grand Prix Plaza is the start and finish line for the Formula 1 Heineken Las Vegas Grand Prix. Still, the engines roar past iconic landmarks like Caesars Palace and the Bellagio fountains as drivers turn 17 corners and complete 50 thrilling laps around the 3.8-mile track. The Las Vegas F1 GP is a citywide event with live music, driver appearances, and special packages from resorts, restaurants, and casinos.

Located a few miles away in downtown Summerlin, Las Vegas Ballpark is home to the minor league baseball team, the Las Vegas Aviators. The 10,000-person stadium is a family favorite, with tickets and concessions sold for a fraction of what they go for at major Las Vegas sports events. If that weren’t enough, baseball fans have another reason to celebrate: The Athletics are building a new ballpark and plan to relocate the franchise to Las Vegas in 2028.

Michelob Ultra Arena

Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino is home to Michelob Ultra Arena, lovingly called “The House” by fans of one of the WNBA’s original franchises, the Las Vegas Aces. When the Aces aren’t pressing the court, other ticketed events at the 12,000-seat arena have included professional lacrosse, Esports, and combat sports like boxing and UFC.

The best sportsbooks in Las Vegas

If you’ve got a hunch about your favorite team, you don’t have to go far to place a bet in Las Vegas. Sportsbooks within casinos are dedicated areas that resemble traditional sports bars but with much bigger screens and the ability to participate in legal gambling. On a given day, you can place a bet on anything from horse races to the Olympics.

This top sportsbook inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is mere steps away from the excitement of the Strip. The BetMGM Sportsbook & Lounge features comfy leather couches where you can order food and drinks while you watch the game.

Known as the largest sportsbook in town, you'll find three stories of seats and screens at Circa Resort & Casino on Fremont Street. It’s a popular spot, so you'll want to score reservations for big sporting events. Stadium Swim features massive screens around the pool so you can catch all the action sitting in your lounger.

Walking into The Tavern at Fontainebleau Las Vegas feels more like a sports-themed bar and restaurant than a sportsbook. While you can eat and watch a game at tables and the bar, a more traditional sportsbook experience is inside, where movie-style recliners face a wall of screens.

Everything about Wynn Las Vegas is high-end, including the Race & Sports Book, which features an almost 1,600-square-foot wraparound LED video screen centering the room. For the highest of rollers, check out the reservation-only VIP section with couches and dedicated tableside servers.